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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
14 SXSW Movies We've Already Seen Including '21 Jump Street,' 'Marley,' 'Killer Joe,' 'Bernie' & More
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- March 7, 2012 12:59 PM
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- 3 Comments
Yesterday, we ran through fifteen movies that we're dying to see at this year's SXSW, but the Austin, Texas festival doesn't just have world premieres: there's also a selection of films that have played film fests elsewhere in the world over the last months, from Venice and Toronto to Sundance and Berlin.
'The Girl' With Abbie Cornish, 'Jack And Diane,' Harmony Korine's Short 'The Fourth Dimension' & More Head To Tribeca
- By Kevin Jagernauth
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- March 6, 2012 12:08 PM
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- 0 Comments
SXSW kicks off later this week, but once you're done slurping the BBQ sauce off your fingers, pack your backs and head north to Manhattan, as the Tribeca Film Festival is gearing up to unspool in April. To whet cinephile appetites, organizers have dropped the lineup for the World Narrative Feature Competition, World Documentary Feature Competition and Viewpoints categories, and there are plenty of titles to take note of.
Director Simon Aboud Talks 'Comes A Bright Day' Cast & Status Of Brit-Listed 'This Beautiful Fantastic'
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 24, 2012 3:00 PM
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- 0 Comments
In Berlin last week we had the pleasure of catching up with "Comes a Bright Day" writer/director Simon Aboud, who told us about getting the film made, as well as the status of his Brit-listed potential Carey Mulligan script "This Beautiful Fantastic," and what he hopes to roll on next.
'Electrick Children' Stars Rory Culkin & Liam Aiken On Their Roles In The Film & Growing Up Onscreen
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 22, 2012 12:55 PM
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- 0 Comments
A small, indie, debut film from writer/director Rebecca Thomas, "Electrick Children"'s trio of young central performances really caught our eye in Berlin last week. Having spoken to the film's lead and potential break-out, Julia Garner, we then got to sit down with the other two, both of them child stars turned promising young actors, Rory Culkin and Liam Aiken.
Diane Kruger On 'Farewell, My Queen,' The Value Of Beauty In Hollywood & Finding A Leopard In Her Shower
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 22, 2012 11:56 AM
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- 3 Comments
Having followed what has become a fairly well-trodden path from modelling into acting, Diane Kruger seems determined to ensure that her career is more diverse and challenging than that label might suggest. In this endeavor she is undoubtedly helped by being fluent in German, French and English, meaning she can pursue roles in all three languages, and critically, for her, be part of the French cinema that she loves: "...there's a poetry to it, for me it’s what makes me dream...the kind of movies that I could [watch and then] die and go to heaven."
Watch: Trailer For SXSW & Berlin Pic 'Electrick Children' & A Quick Chat With Star Julia Garner
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 22, 2012 10:02 AM
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- 2 Comments
Seeming even younger than her 18 years, Julia Garner, the lead in Rebecca Thomas' debut feature "Electrick Children" (reviewed here) delivers one of those performances that marks a new star in the ascendant. Juggling upcoming roles and sweetly new to the world of press junkets and promotion, we spoke briefly with Garner at the Berlin Film Festival where the film played to a very warm reception on the opening night of the Generation Section.
Melissa Leo Talks 'Francine,' The "Sacred Territory" Of Acting & What She's Looking At Next
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 21, 2012 11:55 AM
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- 0 Comments
Having experienced something of a mid-career breakout with her Oscar-winning supporting role in "The Fighter," Melissa Leo's name has fast become something of a hallmark of quality. Recently she has lent her talents for startlingly authentic portrayals to the likes of "Treme," "Mildred Pierce" and Kevin Smith's "Red State," but in the Berlin Film Festival favorite "Francine" (our review is here) she lands a rare leading role in a feature, albeit a small, narrowly focused one.
Billy Bob Thornton On 'Jayne Mansfield's Car': The Major Change He Made In The Edit, '60s Muscle Cars And More
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 21, 2012 9:57 AM
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- 3 Comments
Contrary to his fearsomely eccentric reputation, we are happy to report that in person, writer/director/actor Billy Bob Thornton is a charmer. Attending The Berlin Film Festival for the premiere of his first directorial outing in over a decade "Jayne Mansfield's Car" (you can read our review here), he won over press left and right with his mixture of soft-spoken Southern gentlemanliness, and frank rebuttals of some of the more outre rumours that have dogged him throughout his career.
Berlinale 2012 Review: 'Anton Corbijn Inside Out' Presents An Impressionist Portrait Of The Artist As A Solitary Man
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 18, 2012 3:06 PM
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- 4 Comments
Wisely not attempting to go the standard-issue bio doc route with a subject who is clearly anything but standard-issue "Anton Corbijn Inside Out," as the title suggests, instead takes a more impressionistic, intimate approach to the celebrated photographer and filmmaker, and in the process creates a thoughtful film that is as much a homage to the creative process as it is a tribute to a man.
Berlinale 2012 Review: 'A Royal Affair' Is A Good-Looking But Unadventurous Period Drama Elevated By Fine Performances
- By Jessica Kiang
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- February 17, 2012 7:12 AM
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- 2 Comments
Considering how very few people on earth we would rather watch on a movie screen than Mads Mikkelsen, colour us baffled to find ourselves slightly out of step with the rapturous reception accorded his latest film, the Danish-language period drama "A Royal Affair." Premiering tonight in Berlin, the film apparently drew cheers from press (though not in our auditorium), and has, in the few hours since, been hailed by some as the saviour of the competition. The film we saw, however, was a perfectly decent, lavishly mounted costume drama, probably above average for this sort of thing, but hardly earth-shattering and certainly not the best film we've seen so far.
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Recent Comments
"Rango" is another film that replicated the anamorphic.
Hahahahahaha
It will be rated R. One of my teachers got to see an advanced screening. He said it was bloody
They are not cutting the shower scene. It's still there according to the trailer.
Guy was a goddamned legend. He'll be missed.
;-(
"And while it's hard to fault a film for being exactly what it sets out to be and nothing
He was also in Geoffrey Fletcher's directorial debut that came out a few weeks ago: Violet
Ha! Hats off to you bro, that just made my day. In all seriousness, you are right. Even Lasseter
R.I.P. - J.G. >>> He didn't starr in "Hemingway & Gellhorn" but in