The Playlist

Review: 'The Iceman' Starring Michael Shannon Is A Tired Take On The Mob Flick

By Oliver Lyttelton
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April 30, 2013 7:06 PM
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3 Comments

Reviews

Are we living in a post-gangster movie age? From the early talkies to the Oscar-winning success of “The Departed,” the genre has been ever-popular and responsible for seminal films from “White Heat” and “The Godfather” to “Goodfellas” and “Pulp Fiction.” But one struggles to think of a standout film in the genre since Scorsese's Oscar winner, with memorable mobsters now coming from television rather than the movies. We’re sure that someone will come along and give the form new life one of these days, but that reinvention of the wheel doesn’t come from Ariel Vroman’s “The Iceman,” which is decent enough, but fails to cover ground that hasn’t already been covered many times before.

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Watch: Tim Burton-Directed Video For The Killers' 'Here With Me' With Winona Ryder & Craig Roberts

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 14, 2012 4:39 PM
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1 Comment

News

It's been a bit of a bummer 2012 for Tim Burton. His big screen reboot of the forgotten '70s show "Dark Shadows" didn't do so well critically or at the box office, and when his feature-length "Frankenweenie" arrived to good reviews, audiences didn't seem to care. But it looks like he's ending the year on a high note. Or at least a warbled note from Brandon Flowers.

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Tim Burton & Winona Ryder Reteaming For Video For The Killers

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 19, 2012 1:04 PM
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0 Comments

News

Seeing as he’s not officially confirmed to direct the Jane Goldman-penned “Pinocchio” yet, or the Jane Goldman-penned “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children," Tim Burton has a bit of time on his hands at the moment. Eager to fill the time before he inevitably gets started on something else dark and gothic he’ll be reuniting with one of his regular collaborators on a smaller project.

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Venice Review: Michael Shannon Vehicle 'The Iceman' Is A Tired Take On The Mob Flick

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 30, 2012 10:12 AM
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6 Comments

Reviews

Are we living in a post-gangster movie age? From the early talkies to the Oscar-winning success of “The Departed,” the genre has been ever-popular and responsible for seminal films from “White Heat” and “The Godfather” to “Goodfellas” and “Pulp Fiction.” But one struggles to think of a standout film in the genre since Scorsese's Oscar winner, with memorable mobsters now coming from television rather than the movies. We’re sure that someone will come along and give the form new life one of these days, but that reinvention of the wheel doesn’t come from Ariel Vroman’s “The Iceman,” which is decent enough, but fails to cover ground that hasn’t already been covered many times before.

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Goran Visnjic Joins 'The Counselor'; Winona Ryder Goes To The 'Homefront' & 'Breacher' Adds Two More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 22, 2012 4:06 PM
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2 Comments

News

While Ridley Scott puts the production of "The Counselor" on hold in the wake of his brother Tony Scott's death, when cameras start rolling again we can look for another face in those set pics: Goran Visnjic. With the "E.R." actor booking a role on the upcoming ABC drama "Red Widow," it has also been revealed he's joined Ridley Scott film as well, although his role hasn't been disclosed. Penned by Cormac McCarthy, the story follows a prosecutor who dabbles in dealing drugs to earn a quick buck and gets in way over his head. Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Rosie Perez, Dean Norris and John Leguizamo co-star in the film that currently hasn't been slated with a release date.

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Watch: Truly Odd Trailer For 'The Letter' With James Franco & Winona Ryder

By Benjamin Wright
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August 16, 2012 6:19 PM
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12 Comments

News

It’s been awhile since Winona Ryder, star of a vast array of films from “Edward Scissorhands” to “Girl Interrupted,” has really taken the lead in a picture – lately she’s mostly been a supporting player in films like “Black Swan,” “Star Trek,” and her upcoming reteaming with director Tim Burton on the stop-motion “Frankenweenie.” Unfortunately, if the trailer for her upcoming return to leading lady status “The Letter” is any indication of the film that follows, we’re not quite sure we’re ready to have her back.

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'Frankenweenie' Soundtrack Features New Song By Karen O Along With Tunes From Robert Smith, Winona Ryder, Passion Pit & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 10, 2012 1:24 PM
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0 Comments

News

While she has definitely earned her stripes as the frontwoman for the acclaimed rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O has also been making some impressive steps in the movie soundtrack world. She memorably contributed a brace of music to Spike Jonze's excellent "Where The Wild Things Are," and last year howled on the cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" for David Fincher's "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." But now she's moving back toward something for kids, contributing "Strange Love," a brand new song, to Tim Burton's ghoulish "Frankenweenie." And she's not the only interesting choice on the soundtrack.

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New Photos: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder & Chris Evans In 'The Iceman'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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July 31, 2012 12:01 PM
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1 Comment

News

If there's one genre that's more played out than the mob movie, it's the hitman picture. But can being based on a real-life tale give a film a little added edge when it falls into both categories? That's what the makers of "The Iceman" are hoping, and a stellar cast, led by Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon, and a premiere at the Venice Film Festival, out of competition, are certainly boding well. And a few new images from the film, for which you can read the official synopsis below, have arrived on the TIFF website, where it'll head after the Lido.

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Winona Ryder Replaces Maggie Gyllenhaal In 'The Iceman'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 12, 2011 7:16 PM
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3 Comments

News

Another day, another casting change on "The Iceman." The film, which was originally set to star James Franco, Benicio Del Toro and Michael Shannon has dropped the first two actors on the way to filming, and has now lost one more esteemed thesp, with another random choice filling in to fill out this pretty bizarre cast.

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Bizarre New Poster & Trailer For Long-Delayed Polish Brothers Film ‘Stay Cool’

By Sam Price
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August 25, 2011 2:03 AM
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3 Comments

As filmmaking sibling duos go, Mark and Michael Polish have never been heralded as titans of the independent moviemaking scene, nor have they managed to attain consistent mainstream success like the brothers Coen or Duplass. Early efforts like “Twin Falls Idaho” -- in which the pair starred as conjoined twins to some acclaim -- and “Northfolk” certainly have their fans, but they came unstuck with an offensively mawkish Billy Bob Thornton vehicle no-one saw (“The Astronaut Farmer”) in 2006 and it’s hardly been plain sailing since then, with pictures like “The Smell of Success” dropping off the face of the Earth into instant obscurity or ‘secret’ projects like their “Wizard of Oz” prequel being mysteriously dumped/abandoned when everyone else in Hollywood had a similar idea.

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