The Playlist

Review: 'Scenes Of A Crime' Is A Riveting True-Crime Documentary Worthy Of Errol Morris

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • March 31, 2012 6:16 PM
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  • 1 Comment
We often forget that film can help elicit change -- maybe it's our general apathy or maybe we've been conditioned to turn away at whatever new "issues" doc is at our door, that often speak directly to the choir. But let's not forget "Super Size Me" helped kick the fast food chain's extra large size to the curb, "Bowling For Columbine" got KMart to stop selling bullets, and most unforgettably, master filmmaker Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue Line" set a wrongly convicted man free. Grover Babcock and Blue Hadaegh's "Scenes Of A Crime" shares much of the latter film's DNA, focusing on a questionable murder confession by an unemployed upstate New Yorker.

Watch: New 'The Avengers' TV Spot Pulls Aliens Out Of The "Nondescript Monsters" Folder

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 31, 2012 2:32 PM
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  • 12 Comments
Loki and his army are coming for "The Avengers" in the mega superhero smashup movie from Marvel. And so what is he bringing from the universe beyond ours? What strange creatures will face our heroes as they defend Earth?

Review: 'Turn Me On, Dammit!' A Fun Yet Uneven Look At A Sex-Crazed Female

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • March 30, 2012 5:25 PM
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  • 5 Comments
With all of the stories, movies, and television episodes dedicated to the horny teenage male, it's a bit of an understatement to say that the topic is well-covered. Regrettably, there's still a nasty double-standard in regards to the population of sexual-minded females -- their desires aren't looked at with the same respect that males get in those various forms of media, and that’s if they’re even represented at all. Better late than never, "Turn Me On, Dammit!" attempts to fill that void by not only having its main protagonist seemingly fueled by coitus, but by also targeting society's uneven treatment of sexual matters between boys and girls.

On The Rise 2012: 10 Actresses Poised For The Big Time

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • March 30, 2012 4:48 PM
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  • 27 Comments
While there are still not enough good roles for women out there, particularly in mainstream Hollywood, that hasn't stopped a batch of young female stars from exploding from out of nowhere in recent years. Head-turning performances have helped launch faces like Carey Mulligan, Mia Wasikowska, Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Felicity Jones and many others into the stratosphere, and the success last weekend of "The Hunger Games" has hopefully put to rest the fallacy that huge audiences won't turn up to big movies carried by a woman.

Amanda Peet Will Commit 'Identity Theft' With Jason Bateman & Melissa McCarthy

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 30, 2012 4:25 PM
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  • 0 Comments
For a while there at the tail end of the '90s, it seemed like Amanda Peet was poised to be the next big thing. And then....well, that didn't exactly happen. Not that she stopped working, but it seems she wisely decided to work with respected talent on films like "Melinda & Melinda," "Syriana" and the severely underappreciated "Please Give" while still paying the bills with odd blockbusters like "2012" here and there. But her name is being mentioned a bit more these days. She's got a role in Terrence Malick's untitled romance, a new show on NBC, and now she's headed back to the big screen to deliver some comedy with two of the best in the business.

Review: 'Artificial Paradises' A Wonderful Minimalist Experience

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • March 30, 2012 3:59 PM
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  • 5 Comments
Set in the breathtaking beach environment of Veracruz (Mexico) at a near dilapidated resort-of-sorts, "Artificial Paradises" is a terrific minmimalist experience centering on the unlikely relationship between middle-aged grounds worker Salomón (Salomón Hernández) and young heroin abuser Luisa (Luisa Pardo). Similar to the oeuvre of Apichatpong Weerasethakul and even Andrei Tarkovsky in its sensibilities, Yulene Olaizola's first narrative film shuns plot and conventions in favor of the small moments that make up life.

5 New Pics Of Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks & Michelle Pfeiffer In 'People Like Us'

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 30, 2012 3:41 PM
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  • 1 Comment
After delivering emotion-deadening blockbusters like "Transfomers" and "Cowboys & Aliens," can producers and writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci do nuanced dramedy? That's the question at the center of "People Like Us," Kurtzman's directorial debut that he penned and produced with Orci, with Jody Lambert also throwing in a hand on the script.

Ophelia Lovibond, Melissa Leo & More Round Out Cast For 'A Single Shot' Starring Sam Rockwell

  • By Kevin Jagernauth
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  • March 30, 2012 3:25 PM
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  • 1 Comment
It's been a long, strange trip for "A Single Shot." Seemingly stuck in development hell, the project had an array of names circling over the past couple of years -- Michael Fassbender, Alessandro Nivola, Emily Mortimer, Terrence Howard, Juliette Lewis, James Badge Dale, Juno Temple, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church -- but began finally firming things up this week. Sam Rockwell, Jeffrey Wright, Jason Isaacs and William H. Macy (who has been attached through various incarnations) were confirmed, and now we know the rest of the folks joining them.

Review: 'Goon' Is A Middling Sports Comedy Elevated By A Surprising Turn By Seann William Scott

  • By Oliver Lyttelton
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  • March 30, 2012 2:55 PM
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  • 4 Comments
It feels odd that "Goon," a brutal comedy based around the sport, from the pen of hockey-loving Apatow grads Jay Baruchel (star of "Undeclared" and "Knocked Up") and Evan Goldberg (co-writer, with Seth Rogen, of "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express"), would go on wide release in Britain this weekend, weeks before it hits theaters in North America. But nevertheless, go on wide release it has, and The Playlist was there to check it out.

Watch: Teaser For The Animated 'Foosball' From ‘Secret In Their Eyes’ Director Juan Jose Campanella

  • By Drew Taylor
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  • March 30, 2012 2:28 PM
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  • 0 Comments
Back in 2010 it was reported that Juan Jose Campanella, director of the breathless, Academy Award-winning whodunit “Secret In Their Eyes,” would next set his sights on an animated project called “Metegol” (aka “Foosball”). Well, today a brief teaser has appeared (via Animatie) and it seems charming enough. The original logline was that the film “follows an underdog who, with the help of foosball figures that come to life, must take on a star soccer pro to save their village." You don’t really get that from the teaser, but then again, it is only a minute long.

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