The Playlist

Future Scares: Ben Wheatley's 'Kill List' & Elizabeth Olsen's 'Silent House' Get 2012 Release Dates

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 25, 2011 4:17 AM
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3 Comments

So, looking for some scares that don't involve some footage shot for about $10 and then cobbled together with some jump scares? (That's right we're looking at you "Paranormal Activity 3"). Well, you might have to wait until 2012 but the early part of the year should satisfy your thirst for cinematic thrills.

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And So It Begins, 'The Descendants' & 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' Lead Gotham Award Nominees

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 20, 2011 3:28 AM
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0 Comments

Well folks, the first batch of nominees this awards season have been revealed, with the Gotham Independent Film Award nominations landing this morning, giving an early peek at what will likely be some strong contenders down the line. Bear in mind, the Gotham Awards have little bearing on the eventual Oscar nods with only last year's Best Feature winner "Winter's Bone" factoring into the proceedings at the Kodak Theater. However, it does represent a good chunk of what you might see at the Independent Spirit Awards later in the year and if anything, these nominations confirm that Fox Searchlight is going to have another banner year on the statue circuit.

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Sean Durkin And Elizabeth Olsen Discuss The Optimism At The Heart Of 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

By Gabe Toro
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October 18, 2011 4:06 AM
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1 Comment

From the mind of Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” is an unsettling and stunning experience (check out our Sundance review). The film follows the dual narrative of Martha (Elizabeth Olsen), a young girl who becomes absorbed into a small cult community, only to escape to the confines of her sister’s lake house. As we see both parts of this story run parallel, we discover that Martha may not be ready to assimilate back into society, as she quarrels with her sister and her sister's husband, unable to understand what could be considered a “right” way to behave. Meanwhile, we also are given a window into her life on the cult commune led by the creepily magnetic Patrick played by John Hawkes.

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Director Sean Durkin Talks Food, Violence And Open Endings In 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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October 10, 2011 2:00 AM
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All The Lowdown From The NYFF Screening Of One Of The Year's Best FilmsIt may feel like you've been hearing about "Martha Marcy May Marlene" all year; the film, the debut of director Sean Durkin (who was the producer of Antonio Campos' underseen "Afterschool"), bowed at Sundance, and has spent the last nine months picking up new fans at every subsequent festival, from Cannes to Toronto, and launching its young star, Elizabeth Olsen, into stardom. And take it from someone who finally saw the film last week; the praise is much deserved.

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Teaser Trailer For Rodrigo Cortes' 'Red Lights' Features Robert De Niro Turning Around Slowly

By Benjamin Wright
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September 14, 2011 4:30 AM
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4 Comments

While many of our writers didn’t exactly love Rodrigo Cortes’ “Hitchcock in a box” thriller “Buried,” it’s hard to deny that Cortes took some inventive turns with the film’s high concept premise. Next up for the director is “Red Lights,” which MTV has the trailer for, and it’s about as minimalist as you would imagine from a director who stuck one of Hollywood’s most rapidly rising stars (at the time) in a box for two hours.

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Elizabeth Olsen Says 'Very Good Girls' With Dakota Fanning May Be Delayed

By Simon Dang
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August 17, 2011 2:22 AM
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Elizabeth Olsen, the young sister of the Olsen twins, broke out earlier this year at Sundance with her performance as the titular character in "Martha Marcy May Marlene." This writer recently saw the film at MIFF and found out exactly why the actress was the talk of the town in Park City with a magnetic, twisted turn in Sean Durkin's accomplished debut. One project Olsen soon attached herself to in the post-festival hype was Naomi Foner's "Very Good Girls," which is set to see her star along side fellow talent Dakota Fanning in a dramatic comedy also featuring Peter Sarsgaard, Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spacek.

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Dakota Fanning And Elizabeth Olsen To Star In 'Very Good Girls'

By Catherine Scott
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May 13, 2011 4:10 AM
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3 Comments

Peter Sarsgaard, Dustin Hoffman And Sissy Spacek To Round Out CastThe Cannes shopping continues, with streams of announcements coming out everyday. One of the more high-profile ones in the last 24 hours is "Very Good Girls," a vehicle for fast-rising starlets Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen. The film follows two teenage girls during a New York summer, on a quest to lose their virginities, who fall-out when they fall for the same man, a street artist.

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Elizabeth Olsen & Josh Radnor Go To School For 'Liberal Arts'

By Catherine Scott
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March 24, 2011 3:20 AM
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3 Comments

'How I Met Your Mother' Star Will Direct & Star Based On His ScriptThe Sundance Film Festival is good to a lot of people, but no one seems to benefit more than rising new stars on the independent film scene.

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We're So Over Jennifer Lawrence: 5 Actresses Who Broke Out At Sundance 2011

By Oliver Lyttelton
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January 31, 2011 3:18 AM
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2 Comments

Every year, the Sundance Film Festival serves not only as a showcase of the best of independent cinema from around the world, but as a strong indicator of some of the rising talent likely to make waves in future years. As much as the festival showcases young writers and directors, it's for its instant creation of movie stars that it's perhaps become best known in recent years.

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