The Playlist

5 Things You Might Not Know About Richard Donner & Steven Spielberg's 'The Goonies'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 7, 2012 11:05 AM
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2 Comments

Features

In the last couple of years, a spate of films, from Joe Cornish's "Attack The Block" to J.J. Abrams' "Super 8," have named one film as a particular influence: Richard Donner's "The Goonies," the 1985 kids' adventure film that served as part of the 1980s golden age of Amblin, Steven Spielberg's production company. Following a group of working class kids from the 'Goon Docks' of Astoria, Oregon, on one last adventure before their homes are demolished, only to end up on a quest, and pursued by a vicious criminal family, the Fratellis, the film is a rollicking adventure that also had a particular feel for the friendships between kids.

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Review: 'Men In Black 3' Is A Surprisingly Decent Return To Form For The Flagging Franchise

By Drew Taylor
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May 22, 2012 12:05 AM
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11 Comments

Reviews

Much has been made of the herculean efforts it took to get “Men in Black 3” to the big screen – the constant rewrites, the lengthy hiatus, Will Smith’s giant trailers pissing off much of lower Manhattan – so the mere fact that “Men in Black 3” is watchable at all is something of a pleasant surprise. What’s downright shocking is how enjoyable “Men in Black 3” actually is – it’s an agreeably loopy, visually sumptuous, intermittently clever sci-fi comedy that does much to erase the bad memories of 2002’s wretched “Men in Black II,” easing back into the deadpan weirdness that made the original film so much fun.

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New 'Gangster Squad' Photos Pop With Explosive Tommy Gun Fire From An Angry Sean Penn

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 21, 2012 10:20 AM
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5 Comments

News

While that rumored appearance at Cannes never happened (and given the mixed reception to the similar period shoot-em-up "Lawless," perhaps it was a good move), the buzz is starting to build on Warner Bros' "Gangster Squad." A trailer landed a few weeks back, and soon after it was given a September 7th release date, where it'll compete directly with John Hillcoat's film for the late summer/early fall audience that saw films like "The Town" and "Contagion" become hits in the last few years.

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"Every Kingdom Comes Up Bloody": Trailer For 'Gangster Squad' Arrives Starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling & Josh Brolin

By Edward Davis
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May 9, 2012 7:46 PM
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32 Comments

News

Despite having ceded its release date to a fellow Warner Bros. film, "Argo," it appears the studio has not given up on its drama "Gangster Squad." Directed by Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland," "30 Minutes Or Less") and featuring the all-star cast of Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Michael Peña, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Emma Stone and a prosethtic-laden Sean Penn, a trailer has just arrived, likely ensuring the picture will arrive in 2012 after all. When? Well, that would be a question that won't be answered yet.

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Josh Brolin Says Spike Lee's 'Oldboy' Remake Will Keep Hammer Fight & Octopus-Eating; Has Blessing From Park Chan-Wook

By Simon Dang
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May 7, 2012 10:45 AM
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3 Comments

News

So many actors and actresses have been linked with Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake that we have trouble recalling which ones actually scored the roles but things look to be settling down with "District 9" star Sharlto Copley joining Josh Brolin, taking the villain role last week, while Elizabeth Olsen is eyeing the female lead. From early in its conception, the project has been noted as drawing more from the graphic novel source rather than being a direct remake of Park Chan-wook's film but the biggest question has always been where and how Mark Protosevich's script differs.

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'Suits' Star Tom Lipinski To Play Younger Version Of Josh Brolin In Jason Reitman's 'Labor Day'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 2, 2012 10:59 PM
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9 Comments

News

First, we have a question: Does anyone watch USA network's "Suits"? If so, is it any good? While we wait for answer, it seems Jason Reitman is a fan, casting actor Tom Lipinski in his upcoming film "Labor Day." The twist here is that he'll be playing the younger version of Josh Brolin (who himself plays the younger version of Tommy Lee Jones in "Men In Black III" -- this will all make a good movie trivia question some day).

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Barry Sonnenfeld Says Shooting 'Men In Black 3' Without A Third Act Ready Might Have Been "A Really Stupid Idea"

By Joe Cunningham
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February 29, 2012 9:00 AM
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8 Comments

News

If you've been following the production of "Men In Black III" to any small degree, you'll know it has been somewhat of a debacle. Despite it being a decade since the last outing for Agent J and Agent K in a vastly inferior sequel to the original movie, it was decided that a third outing would be a good idea. We think the studio logic here is that if you put Will Smith in it, they will come. The saga of the development of the film is a long one, but here's the condensed version:

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Watch: Hilarious Trailer For 'Movie: The Movie' Featuring Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon & Much, Much More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 27, 2012 11:22 AM
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8 Comments

News

Memo to the Academy: Next year, you might want to get the writing staff of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to write jokes for the show, because this nine-minute bit is funnier than anything that happened at the Oscars last night.

Meet The 'Gangster Squad' In New Photo From Ruben Fleischer's L.A. Noir Flick

By Simon Dang
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January 15, 2012 10:08 AM
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2 Comments

News

There's been glimpses here and there from paparazzi pics and, of course, the first official image of Josh Brolin and Sean Penn squaring off but we now have our first look at the titular "Gangster Squad" in "Zombieland" and "30 Minutes Or Less" director Ruben Fleischer's L.A.-set noir flick.

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Start Date For 'Oldboy' Pushed Back As Clive Owen Is The Latest To Turn Down A Role

By Oliver Lyttelton
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January 6, 2012 3:22 PM
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5 Comments

News

We have to say, we're starting to become a little concerned about "Oldboy." Never exactly the most necessary of remakes in the first place, our interest was piqued when Spike Lee signed on to direct, swiftly followed by Josh Brolin; a talented, interesting pair who seemed to promise that this would be something a little more special than a quick-and-easy remake.

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