The Playlist

Exclusive: 'Looper' Director Rian Johnson On Transforming Joseph Gordon-Levitt & The Hour Of Deleted Scenes On The DVD

By Oliver Lyttelton
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July 16, 2012 11:00 AM
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Features

It's an interesting time for fans of science-fiction out there. While many of the biggest movies in the genre have tinges of sci-fi, they're mostly action-adventures in disguise, with fantastic CGI embellishments. But we've also had a string of lower-budget fare in the last few years that have embraced the more idea-led aspects of the genre -- think Duncan Jones' "Moon," Gareth Edwards' "Monsters," or Neill Blomkamp's "District 9." And the latest to join them is a man who's already made something of a specialty out of deconstructing genre tropes with his teen-noir "Brick" and meta-caper "The Brothers Bloom" -- director Rian Johnson.

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Exclusive: Rian Johnson Says 'Looper' Stopped Him From Directing On 'Game Of Thrones,' Hopes It Might Still Happen One Day

By Oliver Lyttelton
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July 14, 2012 11:20 AM
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News

In between being one of the more exciting young directors we have at the moment, Rian Johnson has been keeping his helming muscles sharp by working on some of the more acclaimed TV series of the last few years. In the four years between "The Brothers Bloom" and the upcoming "Looper," Johnson helmed a divisive third-season episode of "Breaking Bad" entitled "Fly" (one of this writer's favorites on the show), as well as a cracking installment of the short-lived and much-missed "Terriers."

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Comic-Con '12: An Expanded Look At Rian Johnson's Sci-Fi 'Looper'

By Jeff Otto
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July 14, 2012 9:33 AM
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Features

Yesterday at Comic-Con writer/director Rian Johnson (“Brick,” “Brothers Bloom”) took the stage in Hall H for the very first time to discuss his mind-melting science fiction flick, “Looper.” He was joined by his star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who Johnson wrote the part for (hence the character name, Joe) , and co-star Emily Blunt. We’re told Bruce Willis was busy shooting the latest installment of the “Die Hard” franchise.

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New Image Of Joseph Gordon-Levitt In 'Looper' Plus Preview The Score

By Edward Davis
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July 12, 2012 12:21 PM
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News

Eclectic filmmaker Rian Johnson has so far in his career made a highly original high-school-set neo-noir ("Brick") and a whimsical heist flick ("The Brothers Bloom"), but for his latest trick, he's pulled off a sci-fi time travel film about assassins who kill targets sent from the future into the past, thus altering the course of history. It's a high-concept project and we wouldn't expect anything less from Johnson, who is one of the most distinctive writer/directors working today.

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Watch: New Domestic Trailer For 'Looper' Offers Up More Footage, Still Looks Pretty Damn Exciting

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 28, 2012 5:57 PM
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News

Sick of movie marketing, and want to stay fresh before you see "Looper" in theaters? Take Rian Johnson's advice that he dispensed on Twitter yesterday: "If you're already set on seeing 'Looper,' I'd avoid any trailers from here on out. They don't ruin the movie, but they tip a few little things." So be warned: you can't unwatch anything, but if you're curious, then let's continue...

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Watch: New, Hugely Impressive U.K. Trailer For Rian Johnson's 'Looper' With Bruce Willis & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 27, 2012 11:37 AM
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9 Comments

News

Now that we're midway through the summer season, we're sort of champing at the bit for the arrival of the fall: "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Bourne Legacy" aside, there's not a lot in the coming months that's really floating our boat, unless something like "Total Recall" or "The Watch" proves to be a pleasant surprise. And in part, it's because the fall's looking so promising -- long before the heavy hitters at Christmas, even the normally dead zone of September looks chock full of pleasures, with "Lawless," "Gangster Squad," "End Of Watch" and "Killing Them Softly" all looking exciting to one degree or another.

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Longer Cut Of Rian Johnson's 'Looper' Will Be Released In China

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 20, 2012 8:57 AM
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1 Comment

News

With studios and financiers more cautious than ever these days to put their money behind ambitious projects that don't sell toys and enhance brands, producers have been looking East for partners to help raise funds for movies. For example, The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer's "Cloud Atlas" had an injection of money from Eastern backers, and Edward Zwick's developing "The Great Wall" is being moved along by Legendary East, a whole new shingle from Legendary Pictures based in that quickly growing market for Hollywood fare. Another film with coin from overseas? Rian Johnson's "Looper," and it looks like that relationship has made for an interesting quirk regarding the film's release.

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Discuss: Is Rian Johnson Right About 3D Technology Still Catching Up To The Ambitions Of Filmmakers?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 14, 2012 12:03 PM
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7 Comments

Features

We're coming up to three years since "Avatar" became the biggest-grossing film in history, and any thought that 3D film, which James Cameron's picture helped to revive, was a flash in the pan seems to have been wishful thinking. The top two slots at the current U.S. box office are taken by two 3D films that couldn't be more unlike one another: "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," a colorful, star-studded animated sequel, and "Prometheus," a dark, live-action sci-fi horror from Ridley Scott. And yet they happily sit side-by-side, raking in the cash without cannibalizing each other's 3D screens (not to mention those of "The Avengers" or "Men In Black 3," which are still very much in theaters). And these are hardly outliers: when you include the stereoscopic re-releases of "Titanic" and "The Phantom Menace," eight of the all time top grossers were released in 3D.

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New Look At Jeff Daniels & Noah Segen In Rian Johnson's 'Looper' Plus U.K. Poster

By Simon Dang
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June 5, 2012 10:25 AM
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With the novelty of Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the same character now worn off after the unveiling of the first "Looper" trailer, all eyes turn to the film itself and its upcoming release. Marketing has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, and the latest peeks don't change that assessment, with an interesting new look at supporting players Jeff Daniels and character actor Noah Segen paired with a disappointingly nondescript poster from across the Atlantic.

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First Look At Emily Blunt In Rian Johnson's 'Looper' Plus More Joseph Gordon-Levitt As Young Bruce Willis

By Simon Dang
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April 30, 2012 9:25 AM
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2 Comments

News

A time-traveling actioner that pits Joseph Gordon-Levitt against his older self, played by Bruce Willis? We don't need to know much more to be sold on the idea, but add to that the fact it's the third directorial effort by writer-director Rian Johnson and features a supprting cast that includes Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano -- color us excited as hell.

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