The Playlist

How Ben Foster Was Lured Into 'The Mechanic': Do You Want To Blow Up Stuff With Jason Statham?

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 26, 2011 3:34 AM
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2 Comments

When "The Mechanic" was released in 1972, starring Charles Bronson as a professional hitman named Arthur Bishop and Jan-Michael Vincent as his protégé, Steve McKenna, the world of professional killers hadn’t yet become a staple of American cinema. In the almost four decades since, that is far from the case. A slew of imitators have followed, some good ("The Professional," "Grosse Pointe Blank") and some not so good ("Assassins," "Hitman").

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Review: 'Ip Man 2' Promises Some Whuppins With A Side Of History

By Gabe Toro
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January 26, 2011 3:17 AM
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0 Comments

Following the events of "Ip Man," Donnie Yen stars in the sequel, subtitled "Legend Of The Grandmaster." And aside from a few cosmetic changes, you won't get much variation. Not that this is a bad thing: the "Ip Man" films follow the legendary martial artist of the title who pioneered the art of Wing Chun, which is not the semi-popular New Wave band of the 1980's who famously scored "To Live And Die In L.A." but in fact a popular martial art that Ip Man spread across the globe.

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Sundance '11 Review: 'Like Crazy' A Familiar Tale Of Impossible Love, Well Told

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 26, 2011 3:00 AM
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2 Comments

From our reviews correspondent over at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, James Rocchi.

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Roger Ebert Says 3D Is Over & Won't Work Because Walter Murch Said So

By Edward Davis
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January 26, 2011 2:57 AM
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11 Comments

Look, we dislike 3D as much as the next discernible filmgoer who finds little value in headaches, dim lighting, ephemeral visual tricks, and exorbitant ticket pricing, but Roger Ebert -- who is no doubt one of our best -- does have a flair for the melodramatic. A recent article of his making the rounds claims to once-and-for-all "close" the discussion on 3D -- and thus the absurd title: "Why 3D will never work. Case closed."

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Sundance '11: 'The Details,' 'The Guard,' 'Another Earth' All Find Distribution

By Oliver Lyttelton
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January 26, 2011 2:39 AM
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2 Comments

As good red-blooded capitalists, we at The Playlist like nothing more than stories about people buying things for millions of dollars, and as such, the last week of January is one of our favorite times of year -- it's the time when acquisition executives descend in their hordes on Park City for the Sundance Film Festival in the hope of picking up the next indie breakout hit. Whether the films turn out to be the next "Little Miss Sunshine" or the next "Hamlet 2" won't be seen for months, for the most part, but it's certainly been a busier market than in recent years.

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NBC Move Forward On 'Wonder Woman'; McG May Direct Pilot

By Oliver Lyttelton
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January 26, 2011 2:22 AM
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0 Comments

Superheroes are everywhere at the moment, and it's not going to change any time soon: "Thor," "Captain America," "Green Lantern" and "X-Men: First Class" are all hitting screens this summer, with big-hitters "Spider-Man," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Superman" following next year. The genre's even started to infiltrate the small screen again: "Smallville" is wrapping up its tenth and final season, but "No Ordinary Family" and "The Cape" are both currently running, and Guillermo Del Toro is working with Marvel on a new TV show based around The Hulk.

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'Scott Pilgrim' Star Mark Webber Directing Drama Starring His Two-Year-Old Son

By Oliver Lyttelton
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January 26, 2011 1:58 AM
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3 Comments

Michael Cera, Shannyn Sossamon, Amanda Seyfried, Jason Ritter Also In Cast A year ago, it looked like indie veteran Mark Webber might be about to take a major leap in his career, as one of the more left-field choices among the top-notch ensemble of Edgar Wright's "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World." While Webber was terrific as the neurotic, fame-hungry Sex Bob-omb frontman Stephen Stills in the picture, the disappointing box office haul of the film meant that the actor hasn't quite cracked the mainstream yet, even if it's gone some way to helping things along.

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Emile Hirsch Gets Ready For 'The Motel Life'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 26, 2011 12:47 AM
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1 Comment

Emile Hirsch is getting ready to go on the lam.

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Samuel L. Jackson Keeps Yelling At Tommy Lee Jones In 'Sunset Limited' Trailer

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 26, 2011 12:24 AM
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4 Comments

Dear god, man. It looks like Al Pacino has some official competition the category of Dudes Who Think Barking Their Lines In Movies Is Acting.

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Harvey Scissorhands Wants To Honor Top Oscar Nominee 'King's Speech' By Cutting It For PG-13 Rating

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 25, 2011 11:43 AM
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4 Comments

After this morning's Oscar nominations, where "The King's Speech" stacked up a dozen nods, it seems Harvey Weinstein still isn't quite done maximizing the potential of the product he has out there in the theaters.

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