So, there’s good news and bad news for Jessica Chastain. The good news is that Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s “Other Mommy” gave the Oscar winner her biggest opening at the box office since “It: Chapter Two” took in $91 million in 2019. The bad news is, despite finding an initially potent $27.5 million, “Mother” looks like it’s going to crash hard. In a rare move for the studio, Universal didn’t show critics “Mommy” until Thursday night. Continue reading ‘Other Mommy’ Scares Up $27.5 Million For Jessica Chastain At The Box Office at The Playlist.

There was something almost startling, even thrilling, about watching “Lanterns” reach its finale without losing its nerve. After a season of murder, damaged superheroes, cosmic mythology, and Green Lantern lore, the HBO series didn’t suddenly decide everything needed to get bigger, louder, or more explosive. It didn’t pull a “WandaVision,” nearly abandoning what made the preceding episodes thoughtful and distinctive for an obligatory superhero punch-up. Instead, “Lanterns” trusted the story it had actually been telling and delivered something quieter, more morally thorny, and ultimately more resonant than another battle designed to reassure viewers that, yes, they were still watching expensive genre television. Continue reading ‘Lanterns’ Puts Genre TV To Shame With A Poignant Story About Fear, Legacy, & Breaking The Cycles [The Take] at The Playlist.

Guillermo del Toro has spent much of his career exploring humanity’s darkest impulses through monsters, ghosts, and fairy tales. But one of the most terrifying experiences of his life was very real and involved no supernatural elements. In the late 1990s, his father was kidnapped in Mexico and held for ransom for 72 days, an ordeal that profoundly changed the filmmaker’s life. Now, del Toro says he wants to return to Mexico to make a kidnapping drama, potentially drawing on a traumatic chapter of his own family’s history. Continue reading Guillermo Del Toro Wants To Make A Mexican Kidnapping Drama That Could Draw From His Father’s Real-Life Abduction at The Playlist.

If any term defines Brad Bird’s style, it’s retrofuturism. The aesthetic carries an inherent contradiction: it tries to harmonize two disparate periods into a coherent fantasy. With his decades-gestating passion project “Ray Gunn,” the filmmaker might have finally met his match in two realms that prove impossible to straddle. On the one hand, this animated action film feels like a classic Hollywood detective story made for families. “Ray Gunn” functions nicely as a “Baby’s First Film Noir” for young viewers not quite ready for “Double Indemnity” or “Chinatown,” much less a “Blade Runner” in the tech-noir space. Continue reading ‘Ray Gunn’ Review: Sam Rockwell & Scarlett Johansson Can’t Save Brad Bird’s Overstuffed, Retrofuturistic Noir at The Playlist.

Craig Zobel, the filmmaker behind “The Hunt” and acclaimed television series including “Mare of Easttown” and “The Penguin,” is returning to horror. Zobel will direct Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s feature adaptation of “Something Is Killing The Children,” the enormously successful comic book series created by writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell’Edera. The announcement came Friday during Blumhouse’s New York Comic Con presentation, where Zobel appeared to discuss the project. Continue reading ‘Something Is Killing The Children’: Craig Zobel To Direct Blumhouse Adaptation Of Hit Horror Comic at The Playlist.

LaKeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn are teaming up for “Molepeople,” the upcoming Blumhouse horror film from Rob Savage, the director behind “Host” and “The Boogeyman.” The project, produced in partnership with Paramount Primal, will arrive in theaters on August 27, 2027, with Stanfield’s involvement officially announced Friday during Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s presentation at New York Comic Con. Continue reading ‘Molepeople’: LaKeith Stanfield & Ben Mendelsohn Star In Rob Savage’s New Blumhouse Horror Film, Arriving August 2027 at The Playlist.

Ten years after Ava DuVernay used “13th” to trace the ugly afterlife of slavery through America’s deeply inequitable criminal justice system, she returns to the Constitution and similarly incendiary terrain with “14th.” Another outstanding, enraging, and remarkably lucid documentary, it functions as a spiritual sequel while widening the frame. This time, DuVernay examines citizenship itself: who belongs, who receives the protections America promises, and what happens when those guarantees become inconvenient to the people holding power. Continue reading ‘14th’ Review: Ava DuVernay’s Urgent ‘13th’ Companion Sounds The Alarm On America’s Constitutional Crisis [NYFF] at The Playlist.

The future never seems to get any brighter in the “Blade Runner” universe, though at least it keeps getting more complicated. Nearly a decade after Denis Villeneuve revisited Ridley Scott’s landmark science-fiction film with “Blade Runner 2049,” Prime Video is taking another trip into the dystopian future with “Blade Runner 2099,” an eight-episode limited series starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer. Continue reading ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Trailer: Michelle Yeoh & Hunter Schafer Navigate A New Replicant Future In Prime Video’s Sci-Fi Sequel at The Playlist.

After the critical and commercial disappointment of 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer,” Universal and Blumhouse are taking the franchise in a decidedly different direction. Enter Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker behind “Doctor Sleep,” “Midnight Mass,” and “The Haunting of Hill House,” whose new film, “The Exorcist: Martyrs,” looks less like a traditional possession movie and more like a nightmarish serial-killer thriller. Starring Scarlett Johansson, the film appears to channel the procedural dread of “Seven” and “Zodiac” while finding a disturbing new angle on the supernatural mythology of William Peter Blatty’s original. Continue reading ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ Trailer: Scarlett Johansson Hunts A Satanic Serial Killer In Mike Flanagan’s “Vicious” New Horror Film at The Playlist.

Hollywood loves making movies about itself, though some chapters of its history are considerably less flattering than others. Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson is tackling one of the industry’s most celebrated—and controversial—figures: Elia Kazan, the filmmaker behind “On the Waterfront,” “East of Eden,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” whose extraordinary contributions to American cinema remain inseparable from his notorious role in the Hollywood blacklist. It’s quite a life story, and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to a straightforward celebration. Continue reading Barry Levinson To Direct Elia Kazan Biopic ‘A Life’ About The Legendary Filmmaker’s Complicated Hollywood Legacy at The Playlist.

Hiro Murai has lined up yet another TV project after a record-breaking 14 Emmy wins for his Apple TV series, “Widow’s Bay,” and this one may be even more intriguing than “The Marriage Plot” with Sadie Sink. Why? Because none other than Chinese auteur Wong Kar Wai is involved. READ MORE: 62 TV Shows To Watch This Fall: ‘VisionQuest,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099,’ ‘East Of Eden,’ ‘Pride And Prejudice,’ & More Deadline reports that FX has a series order for a crime drama pilot helmed by Murai, with Havana Rose Liu set to star. Continue reading Havana Rose Liu To Star In Crime Drama Pilot At FX Directed By Hiro Murai, From An Original Story By Wong Kar Wai at The Playlist.

If you thought Michael Hirst had exhausted his appetite for Viking warfare, bloody betrayals, and ruthless Scandinavian power struggles, think again. The creator of “Vikings” returns to familiar territory with “Bloodaxe,” a new historical action series on Prime Video that promises another sprawling saga of Norse warriors, royal ambition, and the struggle to stay alive when everyone wants the throne. READ MORE: 62 TV Shows To Watch This Fall: ‘VisionQuest,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099,’ ‘East Of Eden,’ ‘Pride And Prejudice,’ & More Prime Video unveiled the first teaser trailer for the eight-episode series at New York Comic Con, offering an early glimpse of a brutal 10th-century Norway where political disagreements tend to end with someone reaching for an axe. Continue reading ‘Bloodaxe’ Teaser Trailer: ‘Vikings’ Creator Michael Hirst Returns To The Brutal World Of Norse Warriors & Bloody Betrayals at The Playlist.

After the massive success of “Spider-Man: Bran New Day,” Sadie Sink is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actresses. Now Deadline reports that Sink may have landed her next big role after reprising Jean Grey in the MCU‘s upcoming “X-Men” movie. READ MORE: Sadie Sink Stars In Calvin Klein’s New ‘Feel The Fit’ Denim Campaign [Watch] It’s not official yet, but Sink is in talks to star in A24‘s adaptation of “The Guest,” Emma Cline‘s bestselling novel; she’ll also produce the project alongside A24 and Ari Aster‘s Square Peg. Continue reading ‘The Guest’: Sadie Sink In Talks To Star In A24’s Adaptation Of Emma Cline’s 2024 Novel, ‘Hustlers’ Director Lorene Scafaria Eyed To Helm at The Playlist.

“A Prayer for the Dying,” director Dara Van Dusen’s new film, is about as far from the traditional Westerns of Clint Eastwood—or even something as playful as “Back to the Future Part III”—as the genre can get. Set against a backdrop of disease, death, and impending disaster, it may be one of the bleakest Westerns ever made, if not one of the gloomiest films in recent memory. Continue reading ‘A Prayer For The Dying’ Review: Johnny Flynn & John C. Reilly Star In A Beautifully Bleak Western Nightmare at The Playlist.

Witnessing can be a profoundly quiet act of love. There’s something moving about watching a mother watch her daughter work, especially when that daughter is Sofia Coppola, undertaking the most extravagant production of her career. In “Making Marie Antoinette,” the late Eleanor Coppola offers an almost bashful look behind the scenes of her daughter’s lavish $40 million period drama, capturing the anxieties, logistical nightmares, and small joys of moviemaking. Continue reading ‘Making Marie Antoinette’ Review: Eleanor Coppola’s Tender Portrait Of Family, Filmmaking & Artistic Ambition [NYFF] at The Playlist.

Even with the story of “Carrie” set in stone for almost 50 years, you could argue that Carrie White deserved a better ending. Not a happy ending, but at least the chance to discover who she is before the world makes up its mind. That is the sort of argument Mike Flanagan puts forward in his fresh take on Stephen King’s “Carrie.” In an unexpected move away from what we’ve come to know as a tragedy, Flanagan lets her live. Continue reading Mike Flanagan On Reinventing ‘Carrie,’ A Potential Three-Season Arc, Stephen King’s Reaction & His “Vicious” New ‘Exorcist’ [Spoiler Interview] at The Playlist.

As the years continue to pass, it must be increasingly, maddeningly difficult to create a wholly original take on the genre that is the romantic comedy; whether one changes the setting or character traits, the task appears futile, in the face of yet another rehashed version of the same story, over and over again. This is unfortunately the case with a movie called “Falling,” which, despite the best efforts of its incredibly talented cast, can’t do anything to move its story beyond anything already seen since the dawn of the cinematic medium. Continue reading ‘Falling’ Review: An Excellent Cast Inhabits A Rom-Com Hampered By What Every Other Rom-Com Has Already Done at The Playlist.

It’s more of the same on the “28 Years Later 3” front, with Danny Boyle following up on his comments about the trilogy-capper at the Zurich Film Festival a couple of weeks ago with similar remarks during a Q&A at the London Film Festival. As per Deadline, Boyle “hopes” the film gets made, but financing still needs to be locked in. “It’s on the back burner at the moment,” the director continued. Continue reading ’28 Years Later 3′: Danny Boyle Says Trilogy-Capper Is “On The Back Burner At The Moment” at The Playlist.

At this point, a David Fincher movie without Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross would be the real surprise. The Oscar-winning composers appear to be back for “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” Fincher’s upcoming sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” with Brad Pitt returning as everyone’s favorite suspiciously unflappable stuntman. After more than 15 years of collaboration, the reunion seems practically inevitable, though what the duo might cook up for the sleazy, sunbaked world of 1970s Hollywood is another matter entirely. Continue reading Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Appear To Be Scoring David Fincher’s ‘The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth’ at The Playlist.

It’s probably just a coincidence, but Netflix recently released “The Last House,” a baffling film about a family unable to leave their Pacific Northwest home for vaguely supernatural reasons, which eventually turns out to involve an army of sea creatures intent on doing…something. With its new six-episode limited series, “Below,” Netflix seems determined, whether intentionally or otherwise, to make amends for that film’s shortcomings. This time, the mystery unfolds gradually, building tension alongside genuine human drama as an increasingly sinister story proves that sometimes the best scares are worth waiting for. Continue reading ‘Below’ Review: Josh Hartnett & Mackenzie Davis Anchor Netflix’s Impressively Tense, Slow-Burn Creature Feature at The Playlist.

Still shaggy, baggy, and amiable, “The Lowdown” returns with another conspiracy to unravel and another thread that Lee Raybon cannot leave alone. Creator, writer, and director Sterlin Harjo adds two welcome complications to his Tulsa stoner noir comedy this season: Betty Gilpin as a public defender who finds Lee increasingly hard to resist, and Tommy Lee Jones as the estranged father he would happily dismiss forever. Both additions suit the show’s eccentric personality while creating fresh trouble for Ethan Hawke’s shambling citizen journalist, a man considerably better at exposing other people’s secrets than examining his own behavior. Continue reading ‘The Lowdown’ Season 2 Review: Betty Gilpin & Tommy Lee Jones Bring Romance & Family Weight To Ethan Hawke’s Shaggy Noir at The Playlist.

One of the buzziest films of 2018 will return, albeit to the small screen. Variety reports that HBO has greenlit a series continuation of “Crazy Rich Asians,” evolving Jon M. Chu‘s hit movie into a one-hour original drama series. What’s more, the film’s main cast will return for the show: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng will be series regulars, while Michelle Yeoh also returns, but in a recurring role. Continue reading ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Series Announcement Teaser: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Ronny Chieng & Michelle Yeoh All Return For HBO’s New Show at The Playlist.

The remarkable true story of Scottish hip-hop duo Silibil N’ Brains hits the screen in “California Schemin’,” actor-turned-director James McAvoy’s feature directorial debut. Previously chronicled in a book and the 2013 documentary “The Great Hip Hop Hoax,” the unlikely story follows aspiring rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, played by Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley, respectively. Continue reading James McAvoy On Making His Directorial Debut With ‘California Schemin’,’ Finding Authenticity & The Sacrifices Of Success [Interview] at The Playlist.

Another Ali G movie? Hey, if Sacha Baron Cohen could resurrect Borat for another Oscar-nominated movie six years ago, he shouldn’t have any trouble getting butts in seats for “Ali G: Who Iz I,” in theaters on October 23. READ MORE: 88 Must-See Movies This Fall: ‘Dune: Part Three,’ ‘Digger,’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ ‘The Adventures Of Cliff Booth’ & More Still, the last project to star Cohen’s satirical poseur-rapper persona, the TV show “Ali G Rezurection” came out in 2014, in completely different cultural zeitgeist. Continue reading New ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ Trailer: Sacha Baron Cohen Brings His Poseur-Rapper Back To Theaters On October 23 at The Playlist.

If any term defines Brad Bird’s style, it’s retrofuturism. The aesthetic carries an inherent contradiction: it tries to harmonize two disparate periods into a coherent fantasy. With his decades-gestating passion project “Ray Gunn,” the filmmaker might have finally met his match in two realms that prove impossible to straddle. On the one hand, this animated action film feels like a classic Hollywood detective story made for families. “Ray Gunn” functions nicely as a “Baby’s First Film Noir” for young viewers not quite ready for “Double Indemnity” or “Chinatown,” much less a “Blade Runner” in the tech-noir space. Continue reading ‘Ray Gunn’ Review: Sam Rockwell & Scarlett Johansson Can’t Save Brad Bird’s Overstuffed, Retrofuturistic Noir at The Playlist.

Craig Zobel, the filmmaker behind “The Hunt” and acclaimed television series including “Mare of Easttown” and “The Penguin,” is returning to horror. Zobel will direct Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s feature adaptation of “Something Is Killing The Children,” the enormously successful comic book series created by writer James Tynion IV and artist Werther Dell’Edera. The announcement came Friday during Blumhouse’s New York Comic Con presentation, where Zobel appeared to discuss the project. Continue reading ‘Something Is Killing The Children’: Craig Zobel To Direct Blumhouse Adaptation Of Hit Horror Comic at The Playlist.

Ben Affleck has long gravitated toward desperate men backed into corners, whether it’s the bank robber struggling to escape his criminal past in “The Town,” the conflicted gangster navigating a corrupt underworld in “Live by Night,” or the CIA operative risking everything on an improbable rescue mission in “Argo.” His latest directorial effort, “Animals,” returns to familiar territory with a kidnapping thriller about political ambition, personal integrity, and the ugly choices people make when circumstances threaten everything they hold dear. Continue reading ‘Animals’ Review: Ben Affleck’s Principled Politician Gets Compromised In A Desperately Wonky Kidnapping Thriller at The Playlist.

LaKeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn are teaming up for “Molepeople,” the upcoming Blumhouse horror film from Rob Savage, the director behind “Host” and “The Boogeyman.” The project, produced in partnership with Paramount Primal, will arrive in theaters on August 27, 2027, with Stanfield’s involvement officially announced Friday during Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s presentation at New York Comic Con. Continue reading ‘Molepeople’: LaKeith Stanfield & Ben Mendelsohn Star In Rob Savage’s New Blumhouse Horror Film, Arriving August 2027 at The Playlist.

Ten years after Ava DuVernay used “13th” to trace the ugly afterlife of slavery through America’s deeply inequitable criminal justice system, she returns to the Constitution and similarly incendiary terrain with “14th.” Another outstanding, enraging, and remarkably lucid documentary, it functions as a spiritual sequel while widening the frame. This time, DuVernay examines citizenship itself: who belongs, who receives the protections America promises, and what happens when those guarantees become inconvenient to the people holding power. Continue reading ‘14th’ Review: Ava DuVernay’s Urgent ‘13th’ Companion Sounds The Alarm On America’s Constitutional Crisis [NYFF] at The Playlist.

After the critical and commercial disappointment of 2023’s “The Exorcist: Believer,” Universal and Blumhouse are taking the franchise in a decidedly different direction. Enter Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker behind “Doctor Sleep,” “Midnight Mass,” and “The Haunting of Hill House,” whose new film, “The Exorcist: Martyrs,” looks less like a traditional possession movie and more like a nightmarish serial-killer thriller. Starring Scarlett Johansson, the film appears to channel the procedural dread of “Seven” and “Zodiac” while finding a disturbing new angle on the supernatural mythology of William Peter Blatty’s original. Continue reading ‘The Exorcist: Martyrs’ Trailer: Scarlett Johansson Hunts A Satanic Serial Killer In Mike Flanagan’s “Vicious” New Horror Film at The Playlist.

Marvel Television brought a few surprises to New York Comic Con on Thursday, unveiling an entirely new live-action series and a three-year plan for more undead superhero mayhem. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel’s head of television and animation, announced “Zodiac,” a new espionage thriller heading to Disney+ in 2028, alongside three two-part “Marvel Zombies” follow-ups arriving annually through 2029. Apparently, even Marvel’s dead superheroes have a more secure employment future than some of its living ones. Continue reading Marvel Announces ‘Zodiac’ Spy Thriller Series For 2028 & Three New ‘Marvel Zombies’ Specials Through 2029 at The Playlist.

Hollywood loves making movies about itself, though some chapters of its history are considerably less flattering than others. Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson is tackling one of the industry’s most celebrated—and controversial—figures: Elia Kazan, the filmmaker behind “On the Waterfront,” “East of Eden,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” whose extraordinary contributions to American cinema remain inseparable from his notorious role in the Hollywood blacklist. It’s quite a life story, and it certainly doesn’t lend itself to a straightforward celebration. Continue reading Barry Levinson To Direct Elia Kazan Biopic ‘A Life’ About The Legendary Filmmaker’s Complicated Hollywood Legacy at The Playlist.

There are great DVD commentaries, and then there’s Ben Affleck’s commentary for “Armageddon,” arguably one of the greatest of all time, not for its illuminating insights into the filmmaking process, but for its sardonic, biting hilarity. The actor spends a good portion of the track gently (and sometimes not so gently) roasting Michael Bay’s 1998 blockbuster, questioning its preposterous logic and generally sounding like a guy who can’t quite believe he’s been invited to explain a movie that makes absolutely no sense. Continue reading Ben Affleck Says He Was “Too Young And F*cking Stupid” To Know Better When He Mocked ‘Armageddon’ On Its DVD Commentary at The Playlist.

Another day, another video game getting adapted into a blockbuster movie. Variety reports that Paramount has plans to adapt the popular sci-fi game “Cyberpunk 2077” for the big screen. Following a troubled late 2020 release by CD Projekt Red that was plagued with performance issues, the open-world RPG has gone on to sell 40 million copies worldwide; its 2023 expansion pack, subtitled “Phantom Liberty,” also sold 15 million copies. Continue reading ‘Cyberpunk 2077’: Paramount Has A Big-Screen Adaptation Of The Popular Sci-Fi Video Game In The Works at The Playlist.

Hiro Murai has lined up yet another TV project after a record-breaking 14 Emmy wins for his Apple TV series, “Widow’s Bay,” and this one may be even more intriguing than “The Marriage Plot” with Sadie Sink. Why? Because none other than Chinese auteur Wong Kar Wai is involved. READ MORE: 62 TV Shows To Watch This Fall: ‘VisionQuest,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099,’ ‘East Of Eden,’ ‘Pride And Prejudice,’ & More Deadline reports that FX has a series order for a crime drama pilot helmed by Murai, with Havana Rose Liu set to star. Continue reading Havana Rose Liu To Star In Crime Drama Pilot At FX Directed By Hiro Murai, From An Original Story By Wong Kar Wai at The Playlist.

Here’s a treat for horror fans: Bloody-Disgusting has the first teaser for the much-anticipated “Crossed,” the movie adaptation of the Garth Ennis comic of the same name. There’s still no word on when “Crossed” will reach audiences, but the one-minute clip offers a look at the film’s tone and visuals. Take a look at it below. READ MORE: 88 Must-See Movies This Fall: ‘Dune: Part Three,’ ‘Digger,’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ ‘The Adventures Of Cliff Booth’ & More For those unfamiliar with Ennis’ comic, this teaser may come across as a little tame, because “Crossed” is about as depraved as comic books get; but then, that shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with “The Boys” another Ennis creation. Continue reading ‘Crossed’ Age-Restricted Teaser: Horror Pic Based On Garth Ennis’ Grisly & Depraved Comic Is Almost Here at The Playlist.

If you thought Michael Hirst had exhausted his appetite for Viking warfare, bloody betrayals, and ruthless Scandinavian power struggles, think again. The creator of “Vikings” returns to familiar territory with “Bloodaxe,” a new historical action series on Prime Video that promises another sprawling saga of Norse warriors, royal ambition, and the struggle to stay alive when everyone wants the throne. READ MORE: 62 TV Shows To Watch This Fall: ‘VisionQuest,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099,’ ‘East Of Eden,’ ‘Pride And Prejudice,’ & More Prime Video unveiled the first teaser trailer for the eight-episode series at New York Comic Con, offering an early glimpse of a brutal 10th-century Norway where political disagreements tend to end with someone reaching for an axe. Continue reading ‘Bloodaxe’ Teaser Trailer: ‘Vikings’ Creator Michael Hirst Returns To The Brutal World Of Norse Warriors & Bloody Betrayals at The Playlist.

After the massive success of “Spider-Man: Bran New Day,” Sadie Sink is one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actresses. Now Deadline reports that Sink may have landed her next big role after reprising Jean Grey in the MCU‘s upcoming “X-Men” movie. READ MORE: Sadie Sink Stars In Calvin Klein’s New ‘Feel The Fit’ Denim Campaign [Watch] It’s not official yet, but Sink is in talks to star in A24‘s adaptation of “The Guest,” Emma Cline‘s bestselling novel; she’ll also produce the project alongside A24 and Ari Aster‘s Square Peg. Continue reading ‘The Guest’: Sadie Sink In Talks To Star In A24’s Adaptation Of Emma Cline’s 2024 Novel, ‘Hustlers’ Director Lorene Scafaria Eyed To Helm at The Playlist.

The third wave of Oscar contenders is here. And beyond three upcoming films that have not screened publicly, the field is close to being set. Over the past three weeks, four films have shown their wares to varying reactions. The one to pay attention to the most, in our opinion, is “Artificial.” But let’s start with the movie cinephiles are still talking about, “Digger.” Unless you’re living under a rock, the “Digger” discourse has flipped quicker than Tom Cruise spinning an F18 in a “Top Gun” movie. Continue reading ‘Artificial,’ ‘Digger,’ & ‘Behemoth!’ Enter The Oscar Season Spotlight [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

“A Prayer for the Dying,” director Dara Van Dusen’s new film, is about as far from the traditional Westerns of Clint Eastwood—or even something as playful as “Back to the Future Part III”—as the genre can get. Set against a backdrop of disease, death, and impending disaster, it may be one of the bleakest Westerns ever made, if not one of the gloomiest films in recent memory. Continue reading ‘A Prayer For The Dying’ Review: Johnny Flynn & John C. Reilly Star In A Beautifully Bleak Western Nightmare at The Playlist.

Witnessing can be a profoundly quiet act of love. There’s something moving about watching a mother watch her daughter work, especially when that daughter is Sofia Coppola, undertaking the most extravagant production of her career. In “Making Marie Antoinette,” the late Eleanor Coppola offers an almost bashful look behind the scenes of her daughter’s lavish $40 million period drama, capturing the anxieties, logistical nightmares, and small joys of moviemaking. Continue reading ‘Making Marie Antoinette’ Review: Eleanor Coppola’s Tender Portrait Of Family, Filmmaking & Artistic Ambition [NYFF] at The Playlist.

Need a rom-com to watch this Fall? Why not try “Love Language,” fresh off an SXSW 2026 premiere and starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto, and Isabela May? READ MORE: 88 Must-See Movies This Fall: ‘Dune: Part Three,’ ‘Digger,’ ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ ‘The Adventures Of Cliff Booth’ & More The setup of the film sees Moretz’s author fall in a side hustle writing wedding vows for other couples, leading her to fall into a complicated romantic entanglement with a long-time crush, their fiancé, and the guy she’s dating. Continue reading ‘Love Language’ Trailer: Rom-Com Starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Anthony Ramos, Manny Jacinto & Isabela May Hits Theaters & Digital VOD On October 23 at The Playlist.

Even with the story of “Carrie” set in stone for almost 50 years, you could argue that Carrie White deserved a better ending. Not a happy ending, but at least the chance to discover who she is before the world makes up its mind. That is the sort of argument Mike Flanagan puts forward in his fresh take on Stephen King’s “Carrie.” In an unexpected move away from what we’ve come to know as a tragedy, Flanagan lets her live. Continue reading Mike Flanagan On Reinventing ‘Carrie,’ A Potential Three-Season Arc, Stephen King’s Reaction & His “Vicious” New ‘Exorcist’ [Spoiler Interview] at The Playlist.

As the years continue to pass, it must be increasingly, maddeningly difficult to create a wholly original take on the genre that is the romantic comedy; whether one changes the setting or character traits, the task appears futile, in the face of yet another rehashed version of the same story, over and over again. This is unfortunately the case with a movie called “Falling,” which, despite the best efforts of its incredibly talented cast, can’t do anything to move its story beyond anything already seen since the dawn of the cinematic medium. Continue reading ‘Falling’ Review: An Excellent Cast Inhabits A Rom-Com Hampered By What Every Other Rom-Com Has Already Done at The Playlist.

MUBI has an exclusive streaming release later this month: Jack Begert‘s “Junk” starring Dominic Fike, Talia Ryder, and David Schwimmer. Don’t recognize that title? That’s because Begert’s directorial debut premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival under a different title, “Little Death,” where Begert won the NEXT Innovator award for the movie. Continue reading ‘Junk’ Trailer: Sundance Favorite Starring David Schwimmer, Dominik Fike, Talia Ryder & More Streams Exclusively On MUBI On October 23 at The Playlist.

Stephen King’s first published novel has existed for more than half a century, Brian De Palma’s 1976 film long ago entered the horror canon, and several less successful adaptations have already brought Carrie White back to the screen. The bucket of blood isn’t exactly a surprise anymore. READ MORE: 62 TV Shows To Watch This Fall: ‘VisionQuest,’ ‘Blade Runner 2099,’ ‘East Of Eden,’ ‘Pride And Prejudice,’ & More That turns out to be part of the fun of Flanagan’s “Carrie.” He knows what you’re waiting for, what you remember, and what you probably assume he’ll do with it. Continue reading Matthew Lillard, Amber Midthunder & More On Mike Flanagan’s Meaner, More Modern ‘Carrie’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

It’s an unusual position for a screenwriter to return to a world he created after another filmmaker so thoroughly defined how audiences see it. Aaron Sorkin wrote “The Social Network,” but David Fincher’s direction became inseparable from the movie’s identity. Sixteen years later, Sorkin has stepped behind the camera himself for “The Social Reckoning,” which leaves Fincher’s eventual reaction hanging over the new film in a way few other opinions could. Continue reading Aaron Sorkin Is “Terrified” For David Fincher To See ‘The Social Reckoning’ — But Fincher Called The Script “Nitroglycerin” at The Playlist.

It’s more of the same on the “28 Years Later 3” front, with Danny Boyle following up on his comments about the trilogy-capper at the Zurich Film Festival a couple of weeks ago with similar remarks during a Q&A at the London Film Festival. As per Deadline, Boyle “hopes” the film gets made, but financing still needs to be locked in. “It’s on the back burner at the moment,” the director continued. Continue reading ’28 Years Later 3′: Danny Boyle Says Trilogy-Capper Is “On The Back Burner At The Moment” at The Playlist.

As of this April, “Top Gun 3” is officially a “go” at Paramount, with Tom Cruise returning to star as Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. But since the CinemaCon announcement, there have been no updates on the blockbuster. That is, until now, when Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” co-star Glen Powell spoke about the project during a new interview with Esquire. Continue reading Glen Powell Says He Knows ‘Top Gun 3’s “Brushstrokes Story” But Tom Cruise Won’t Make It Unless It Surpasses ‘Maverick’ at The Playlist.

Fans of “Widow’s Bay” looking for another series that can bounce between dark humor, genuine thrills, and some very strange things lurking just out of sight may have their next binge. On the surface, Netflix’s “Below” has a pretty easy sales pitch: Josh Hartnett and Mackenzie Davis versus a giant sea creature in Newfoundland. Frankly, some of us were already sold and didn’t need additional information. Continue reading Mackenzie Davis Talks Netflix’s ‘Below,’ Says ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Got A “Bad Rap,” & Wants To Do Comedy [Bingeworthy Podcast] at The Playlist.