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The Playlist
The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.Interviews
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Greta Gerwig Talks 'Frances Ha' & Working With Noah Baumbach -
Joel Edgerton On 'Wish You Were Here,' 'Jane' Drama & More -
James Gray On 'The Immigrant,' 'The Gray Man,' 'The Lost City Of Z' And More -
Brit Marling Talks 'The East' & Espionage Thrillers -
Nicolas Winding Refn Discusses 'Only God Forgives -
Justin Lin Talks 'Fast Furious 6' & The Influence Of Altman -
Interview: Noah Baumbach Talks 'Frances Ha' -
Ben Wheatley Talks 'Sightseers,' Violence & More -
Mark Romanek On 'One Hour Photo' & Leaving 'Cinderella'
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
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.
New Images From Sundance Hit 'The Way, Way Back' & Sequel 'The Raid 2: Berandal'
- By Kevin Jagernauth
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- April 1, 2013 1:37 PM
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- 1 Comment
Today is April 1st. Some folks are coming down from Easter chocolate hangovers and a good chunk of the internet are trading April Fools' Day gags while Hollywood seems to be taking it a bit easy. So forgive the random mash-up of images, but that's just the way things are going today...
Review: 'Mental' With Toni Collette Is A Watchable Farce That Could Do With Going A Bit More Nuts
- By Jessica Kiang
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- March 27, 2013 7:43 PM
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- 0 Comments
“Mental” marks director P.J. Hogan’s (“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic”) reunion with his “Muriel’s Wedding” star Toni Collette. The intervening years may have made them both older, but not necessarily wiser, as “Mental” seems content to rework the “Muriel’s Wedding” formula but with greater resources, like a now-established star and a supporting cast of notable Aussie actors (many of whom we had kind of forgotten were Australian) at its disposal. Both films take small-town Australia as their settings, both feature female characters marked by unpopularity and social inadequacy, and both are inspired by, and constantly reference, particular kitschy elements of pop culture -- ‘Muriel’ had Abba, "Mental" has “The Sound of Music.”
Laika & Focus Features Announce New Animated Feature 'The Boxtrolls' For 2014 Release
- By Drew Taylor
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- February 8, 2013 12:22 PM
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- 2 Comments
This has been a crazy week for animation news – Henry Selick's seemingly doomed “The Shadow King” got resurrected; DreamWorks Animation’s financial troubles became very public (leading to schedule shifts and the cancellation of one film); and now here’s another bit of animation world news to get the blood going: Seattle-based stop motion studio Laika and Focus Features will reteam once again for “The Boxtrolls,” which has officially started production, for release on October 17th, 2014. This is the painstaking world of stop motion animation – get cracking boys!
Exclusive: U.S. Poster For 'Mental' From 'Muriel's Wedding' Team P.J. Hogan & Toni Collette
- By Kevin Jagernauth
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- February 6, 2013 10:57 AM
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- 1 Comment
It's been nearly two decades since Ausssies P.J. Hogan and Toni Collette arrived with the smash hit "Muriel's Wedding," which launched both the director and actress' career in big ways. Not only was the movie a crowdpleaser that connected with audiences everywhere, Hogan and Collette picked up BAFTA and Golden Globes nominations for their work, respectively. And while they've both been very busy since 1994 riding that wave of success to other projects, the pair are finally back together.
Sundance Review: 'The Way, Way Back' A Familiar But Crowd Pleasing Coming-Of-Age Tale From Co-Writers Of 'The Descendants'
- By Cory Everett
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- January 22, 2013 11:03 AM
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- 1 Comment
Back in 2012, “The Descendants” took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and most people were probably surprised to see Alexander Payne (a previous winner for “Sideways” and nominee for “Election”) flanked by Dean Pelton from “Community” and that dude from “Club Dredd.” For the first time in Payne’s career he had not collaborated with his usual co-writer Jim Taylor, but instead rewritten a previously existing screenplay by the aforementioned Jim Rash and Nat Faxon (which was in itself an adaptation of a novel).
Rome Review: 'Mental' With Toni Collette Is A Watchable Farce That Could Do With Going A Bit More Nuts
- By Jessica Kiang
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- November 10, 2012 12:53 PM
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- 4 Comments
Showing today Out of Competition at the Rome Film Festival, “Mental” marks director P.J. Hogan’s (“My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic”) reunion with his “Muriel’s Wedding” star Toni Collette. The intervening years may have made them both older, but not necessarily wiser, as “Mental” seems content to rework the “Muriel’s Wedding” formula but with greater resources, like a now-established star and a supporting cast of notable Aussie actors (many of whom we had kind of forgotten were Australian) at its disposal. Both films take small-town Australia as their settings, both feature female characters marked by unpopularity and social inadequacy, and both are inspired by, and constantly reference, particular kitschy elements of pop culture -- ‘Muriel’ had Abba, while ‘Mental’ has “The Sound of Music.”
First Look & Trailer: Toni Collette, Liev Schreiber, Anthony LaPaglia In P.J. Hogan's 'Mental'
- By Edward Davis
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- November 10, 2012 9:58 AM
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- 5 Comments
Australian director P.J. Hogan burst on the international scene in 1994 with the smash indie hit "Muriel's Wedding," which also launched actress Toni Collette's career. In the ensuing years he's directed the Julia Roberts vehicle, "My Best Friend's Wedding," the underseen "Unconditional Love," and 2009's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" starring Aussie actress Isla Fisher. For his latest feature-length effort, "Mental," Hogan reteams again with his "Muriel's Wedding" star.
First Look At Pierce Brosnan, Imogen Poots & Aaron Paul In 'A Long Way Down,' Rosamund Pike & Sam Neill Join Cast
- By Joe Cunningham
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- September 18, 2012 1:39 PM
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- 2 Comments
Where is Rosamund Pike finding the time? Fresh off of “Jack Reacher,” the actress is busy filming a significant role in Edgar Wright’s final instalment in the jokingly monikered ‘Blood and Ice Cream’ trilogy, “The World’s End.” Once she’s wrapped on that she’ll be reuniting with Simon Pegg on the set of “Hector and the Search for Happiness,” and she’s also attached to Stephen Brown’s “The Sea.” But not content with that busy schedule (and likely happy to capitalise on a sudden resurgence in popularity), Pike has added another project in the form of Pascal Chaumeil’s English-language debut “A Long Way Down.”
New Images: 'The Way, Way Back' With Steve Carell & Sam Rockwell; 'Not Fade Away,' 'Flight' & 'Fun Size'
- By Kevin Jagernauth
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- August 24, 2012 5:17 PM
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- 2 Comments
So what happens when you win an Oscar? Your long-developing project gets the kick in the pants it needs to get made. And that's just what happened for "The Descendants" writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Originally set for director Shawn Levy ("Real Steel") in 2007, "The Way, Way Back" was first delayed by the WGA strike of that year, and was stuck in limbo before finally coming back to life last fall. After the pair took home an Oscar for the screenplay for "The Descendants," everything started moving fast, and with a pretty great cast on board.
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Recent Comments
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The entire movie I could tell that they were going to have superman kill zod in the end, what
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