The Playlist

The 10 Most Promising Network Shows For Fall 2013

By Drew Taylor
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May 16, 2013 1:01 PM
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8 Comments

Features

This week concluded the yearly "up-fronts," where advertisers and affiliates convene in New York City so that the various networks can trot out their exciting new fall products. It brings an end to "pilot season," in which initial episodes are furiously produced and then handily judged, and kicks off the excitement for the following fall. (Even though, as we're becoming increasingly aware, the traditional notions of when shows are supposed to air and how long they're supposed to be are blurring considerably.) Out of all of the new shows – dozens and dozens of hours of freshly scripted content – we have chosen the ten shows that we find the most promising; five hour-long dramas and five sitcoms. Don't change that dial.

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Watch: First Trailer & Poster For 'Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 27, 2013 6:09 PM
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3 Comments

News

Well, there will be no other movies this year that will make a leak/leek pun, so in that regard, "Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2" stands alone. But it's also going to be the only movie this year with food that talks. And swims. And drives boats.

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Ellen Page Gets Behind The Camera To Make Directorial Debut 'Miss Stevens,' Anna Faris To Star

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 7, 2013 6:08 PM
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1 Comment

News

Having logged time with everyone from blockbuster filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and uh, Brett Ratner, to indie directors such as Jason Reitman and Zal Batmanglij, it looks like Ellen Page is taking a nod from "Whip It!" helmer Drew Barrymore, and taking a turn in the director's chair.

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Watch: 2 Clips From 'I Give It A Year' Highlight Unsuccessful Attempts At Romance

By India Ross
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January 31, 2013 11:23 AM
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1 Comment

News

There is a Richard Curtis-shaped hole in British comedy. After "Love, Actually" – and to a lesser extent, 'Bridget Jones 2,' and the best-forgotten "The Boat That Rocked" – the genre has been somewhat adrift, and as we wait to see if "About Time" will return him to his former glory, there are some other efforts on the way that will potentially fill the void.

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Anna Faris To Star In 'Mom' The Latest Comedy From 'Two And A Half Men' & 'Big Bang Theory' Creator Chuck Lorre

By Charlie Schmidlin
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January 7, 2013 5:29 PM
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0 Comments

Television

Whatever four-part offense the “Scary Movie” franchise has brought upon Anna Faris, thankfully a considerable defense -- in the form of “Observe and Report” and Gregg Araki's “Smiley Face” -- is present there as well. The actress holds an irreverent comedic approach that has elevated each film in which she features, and now the creator of TV's most successful sitcom has tapped her in hopes of replicating that charm on the smaller screen.

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Watch: Trailer For 'I Give It A Year' With Rose Byrne & Rafe Spall Promises A Rare Decent Rom-Com

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 21, 2012 11:45 AM
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1 Comment

News

Perhaps no genre of film has as low a rate of return as the romantic comedy. Even horror films have the occasional subversive festival gem to prop up fan interest every so often, but serious fans of the rom-com are reduced to getting their jollies from the amiable, but botched likes of "Crazy Stupid Love" and "The Five-Year Engagement," films which are no great shakes, but look like masterpieces compared to stuff like "Something Borrowed" and "New Years Eve," that makes up most of the films of this type. We're a long way from "When Harry Met Sally," or even "Bridget Jones' Diary."

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Watch: Red Band Trailer For Anthology Comedy 'Movie 43' Starring Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Emma Stone & Every Star On The Planet

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 2, 2012 10:57 PM
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6 Comments

News

What do you get when you put together twelve directors, way more stars and producing power of Peter Farrelly? Well, it's "Movie 43" a portmanteau of comedy that looks like it'll be wearing it's R-rating with pride. And a new red band trailer has dropped to let audiences know just what on Earth they'll be getting into.

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First Photos Of Kate Winslet, Anna Faris, Emma Stone & More From Comedy Omnibus 'Movie 43'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 1, 2012 11:21 AM
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5 Comments

News

When you're pulling together a comedy omnibus with shorts directed by Brett Ratner, Elizabeth Banks, Mike Judge, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Baker, Damon Escot and more, starring folks like Emma Stone, Halle Berry, Terrence Howard, Gerard Butler, Kristen Bell, Chloe Moretz, Josh Duhamel, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Knoxville, Elizabeth Banks, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Richard Gere, Anna Faris, Justin Long, Liev Schreiber, Uma Thurman, Seann William Scott, Kieran Culkin, Leslie Bibb, Jimmy Bennett, Kate Bosworth, Patrick Warburton, Tony Shalhoub, Chris Pratt, Jason Sudeikis, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi and Bobby Cannavale....you might understand that few deadlines might be missed. But after a couple of release date bumps, "Movie 43" is coming to theaters and some peeks have arrived.

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Review: Sacha Baron Cohen's 'The Dictator' Rules With Comic Authority & Big Laughs

By Kevin Jagernauth
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May 10, 2012 10:11 PM
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13 Comments

News

At a first glance, Sacha Baron Cohen's "The Dictator" almost seems too easy. Another accent, another elaborate costume, more manscaping and this time with the softball target of despotic leaders -- it almost seemed as if the comic actor was pouring an ocean of fish into a tiny thimble and then pointing a comedy bazooka at it. And for the first fifteen to twenty minutes, "The Dictator" is kind of that obvious, and as a result, a bit uneven. But once the movie really finds its groove, Cohen's latest character creation easily stands up with his best work. Frequently laugh out loud funny, button pushing, and the rare comedy that actually gets more enjoyable as it goes on, "The Dictator" delivers the goods. All hail Admiral General Aladeen!

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'Scary Movie 5' To Mainly Be A Parody Of 'Black Swan,' Anna Faris Not Returning

By Benjamin Wright
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May 8, 2012 11:22 AM
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0 Comments

News

Spoof movies have never been particularly well regarded. When they’re good, like the original 1980 “Airplane,” they deftly satirize many tropes of your favorite films while also creating laughs derived from their own comedic situations. When they’re bad, they’re most likely directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, the title ends with the word “Movie,” and they spend most their time recreating your favorite scenes from films in an exacting manner infused with Carmen Electra and potty humor. The “Scary Movie” films have always fallen somewhere between the highs and lows of that spectrum, with the franchise's early releases hitting at a time when the horror market was ripe with films containing casts that consisted mostly of The WB alumni, with titles like “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” reaching the point of franchise exhaustion. There was plenty of material to work with, and, admittedly, the brothers Damon and Marlon Wayans actually gave audiences a raunchy good time at the movies with the first installment in 2000.

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