The Playlist

5 Things You May Not Know About 'Superman II,' 31 Years After It Hit Theaters

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 19, 2012 1:58 PM
|
9 Comments

Features

A little over a year from now, the most iconic comic character in history will be back on screens, courtesy of Zack Snyder's "Man Of Steel." Seven years on from Bryan Singer's oft-derided "Superman Returns," it'll see "The Dark Knight" mastermind Christopher Nolan producing a new, seemingly darker take on the character, to be played by Henry Cavill, with Michael Shannon as his Kryptonian nemesis General Zod.

More:

We Read It: Casting Cassandra Clare's 'The Mortal Instruments: City Of Bones'

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 19, 2012 12:04 PM
|
207 Comments

Features

With "Twilight" wrapping up this year, and "The Hunger Games" proving a giant hit, the hunt is on for the next big young adult movie franchise. And we suspect that of all the projects brewing, "The Mortal Instruments" has one of the best chances. The book series by Cassandra Clare has sold millions of copies across its four novels (plus two more in a spin-off series, "The Infernal Devices") to date, as many as any of its competitors. And since the movie version started development, the books' fervent fan-base has come out in force for any tidbit on the project.

More:

The Surprises & Notable Absences Of The 2012 Cannes Line-Up

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 19, 2012 11:03 AM
|
18 Comments

Features

Early this morning brought one of the most anticipated moments in the cinephile's calendar: the announcement of the line-up of this year's installment of the Cannes Film Festival. And while it reads in places like a parody of a Cannes line-up (Alain Resnais! Abbas Kiarostami! Michael Haneke! Ken Loach!) there's no doubt that we're excited about all of those films, as well as new ones from David Cronenberg, Jacques Audiard and many, many others.

More:

The Films Of Robert Bresson: A Retrospective

By The Playlist
|
April 18, 2012 1:40 PM
|
4 Comments

Features

“We are still coming to terms with Robert Bresson, and the peculiar power and beauty of his films,” Martin Scorsese said in the 2010 book “A Passion For Film,” describing the often overlooked French filmmaker as “one of the cinema’s greatest artists.”

More:

5 Things You May Not Know About Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita,' 51 Years After It Hit U.S. Theaters

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 18, 2012 11:00 AM
|
2 Comments

Features

51 years ago today, on April 19th 1961, Federico Fellini's masterpiece "La Dolce Vita" arrived in U.S. theaters. The film was already a phenomenon; it had premiered in Italy the previous February, was instantly condemned by the Catholic Church (it was even banned entirely in Spain until 1975), and won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1960. On its U.S. release, it was widely acclaimed by critics, became a huge box office hit, and picked up four Oscar nominations the following year, including director and screenplay, and won for costume design.

More:

5 Directors Who Could Take Over From Brad Bird On 'Mission: Impossible 5'

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 18, 2012 10:00 AM
|
11 Comments

Features

Early this week, Brad Bird confirmed, via an interview with Crave, what many had long-assumed: despite "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" being the most successful of the franchise to date, the Pixar veteran wouldn't be returning for another crack at the Tom Cruise-led spy series, saying that "I think that one of the things that’s fun about the series is that they always pull in a different director and try to get a different kind of take on the premise."

More:

12 Films We've Already Seen Playing The Tribeca Film Festival

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 17, 2012 11:01 AM
|
0 Comments

Features

It's been a whole month since SXSW but the next fest is just a day away, with the 11th installment of the Tribeca Film Festival, the New York-based celebration of the movies set up by Robert De Niro and producing partner Jane Rosenthal, kicking off this Wednesday, April 18th.

More:

5 Things You May Not Know About Douglas Sirk's 'Imitation Of Life,' 53 Years Since Since It Was First Released

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 17, 2012 10:02 AM
|
8 Comments

Features

The Oscar-winning success of last year's "The Help" wa a throwback in many ways, principally to the socially-conscious melodramas of Stanley Kramer, like "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner." Another comparison point that came up frequently in reviews of Tate Taylor's film was "Imitation Of Life," the 1959 melodrama by director Douglas Sirk, but it's scarcely fair: over fifty years on, Sirk's picture stands head and shoulders above virtually every other melodrama.

More:

In Memory Of William Finley (1942-2012), 5 Things You Might Not Know About 'Phantom Of The Paradise'

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 16, 2012 11:05 AM
|
11 Comments

Features

Sad news came in over the weekend, as it was announced yesterday that actor William Finley, best known for his work with Brian De Palma, had passed away on Saturdayat the age of 69. The actor was a long-time friend of De Palma, having appeared in his early films "Woton's Wake," "Murder a la Mod" and "The Wedding Party," before turning heads as Emil Breton, the husband of Margot Kidder's character, in the director's breakout picture "Sisters."

More:

The Playlist's 15 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 16, 2012 10:02 AM
|
5 Comments

Festivals

This year's Tribeca Film Festival carries one of its strongest line-ups in years. In addition to films from Cannes, Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Berlin circuit, there's also a wealth of U.S. premieres or lesser-known festival movies in the line-up that look just as promising this time around; after a relatively weak SXSW, it looks like the East Coast is getting some of the good stuff.

More: