The Playlist

The Criterion Collection Unveils 'Le Havre' & Reboots Whit Stillman & Jim Jarmusch Titles In Blu For July

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 16, 2012 2:37 PM
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3 Comments

News

Summer is around the corner which means that with the cold weather a distant memory, people are going to want to spending their time outside in the sun and warmth while it lasts. Which likely means less time sitting at home watching movies. So perhaps with that in mind, The Criterion Collection is keeping it easy on the new titles for July, but they do have one new offering, a box set and healthy handful of Blu-Ray reboots.

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The Mix: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Gets Fully Expected PG-13 Rating; Katy Perry Was Eyeing A Role In 'The Help' & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 8, 2012 3:29 PM
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3 Comments

News

Better batten down the hatches! "The Dark Knight Rises" has now landed an official rating and it's not that shocking, fully expected PG-13. The MPAA warns viewers the movie contains "intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language." In other news, the sky is blue and grass in green.

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Whit Stillman & Chris Eigeman Discuss Their Indie Classic 'The Last Days Of Disco' With Lena Dunham At BAM

By Cory Everett
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April 6, 2012 2:19 PM
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3 Comments

News

As part of the ramp up to promote her terrific new HBO series “Girls” -- which we really can’t say enough good things about -- BAMcinematek in Brooklyn invited filmmaker Lena Dunham to program a series entitled “Hey, Girlfriend! Lena Dunham Presents” featuring a diverse slate of films all centered around female relationships. The series features little-seen gems like “Times Square” and “Girlfriends” as well as more established cult films like “Clueless,” “Mulholland Drive,” and Whit Stillman’s 1998 indie-classic “The Last Days of Disco,” which until today had been the filmmaker’s most recent feature

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The Films Of Whit Stillman: A Retrospective

By Oliver Lyttelton
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April 6, 2012 12:04 PM
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3 Comments

Features

Famously dubbed the “the WASP Woody Allen” and the “Dickens of people with too much inner life” by reviewers and critics when his comedy-of-manners indie pictures arrived in the early 1990s, Whit Stillman’s ironic, clever and urbane examinations of upward and downward social mobility and the shallow concerns and preoccupations of the young, privileged and affluent won him a legion of adoring fans as soon as his first film premiered at Cannes. Evincing a polished sensibility through a send-up and celebration of the often ridiculous customs and etiquettes of upper-class social orders, Stillman is also a champion of the overlooked merits of conservative status quo conventions.

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Review: The (Mostly) Delightful 'Damsels In Distress' A Welcome Return By Whit Stillman

By James Rocchi
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April 4, 2012 11:05 AM
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Reviews

From the moment the Sony Pictures Classics logo pops up not in the usual blue -- but in cupcake frosting pink -- you know that Whit Stillman's first film in 13 years (!) is going to be something special. While word from Venice -- where the film closed the festival before heading to TIFF -- was good, the question to be answered was whether or not Stillman's style and cinematic persona would stand up in a filmmaking landscape that has changed immensely since "Last Days of Disco." Well, let there be no doubt: Stillman is just as enjoyable as when we last met him those many years ago and "Damsels In Distress" finds the director with lots (and lots and lots) left to say.

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Whit Stillman Talks Making 'Damsels In Distress,' His Connection To The Current Generation & More

By Jeff Otto
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April 2, 2012 11:03 AM
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0 Comments

News

Yes, it’s been a while since Whit Stillman released a film. But that story has already been done to death. The important fact is that Stillman is back, rejuvenated, and from the sound of our recent interview, looking to get back in the saddle again soon.

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Listen To "The Sambola! International Dance Craze" From Whit Stillman's 'Damsels In Distress'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 23, 2012 2:45 PM
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2 Comments

News

You gotta hand it to Whit Stillman. After being away from screens for over a decade, he could've taken an easier path with a more accessible film, but you're not likely to see any movie this year as quirky, unique or distinct as "Damsels In Distress." The already high wire comedy centers on a quartet of girls who run a suicide prevention center on their college campus, with a variety of methods that include good hygiene, perfume and....dancing.

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Whit Stillman Plans To Team Greta Gerwig, Chloe Sevigny, Chris Eigeman & Adam Brody For Future Project, Says Jamaica-Set 'Dancing Mood' Won't Be Next Film

By Oliver Lyttelton
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March 21, 2012 4:38 PM
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1 Comment

News

Given how charming, winning and funny "Damsels In Distress" is (read our TIFF review here), we sincerely hope that we won't have to wait years and years for another Whit Stillman picture. After all, nearly twelve years will have elapsed between his third film, "The Last Days Of Disco," and the release of 'Damsels' in a few weeks, and we're not sure we can take that length of break again. But the good news is, when we spoke to Stillman earlier today on the press rounds for his new film, he's got several projects on the go.

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As Whit Stillman Returns, Here's 5 Other Long-Absent Directors Making A Comeback In 2012

By Oliver Lyttelton
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February 14, 2012 3:53 PM
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11 Comments

Features

Late last night, the trailer for Whit Stillman's "Damsels In Distress" debuted, and for those who didn't catch it on the festival circuit last year, it was the first time they'd seen any new footage from the "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona" helmer in over a decade. By the time that 'Damsels' is released, nearly fourteen years will have passed since the release of Stillman's third film, "The Last Days Of Disco," a near-Malickian absence. While he's been absent for longer than most, he's far from alone. As we've discussed both last year, and last week, there's plenty of other filmmakers who have been missing in action for some time.

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As 'Junebug' Helmer Phil Morrison Announces A New Project, Where Have These 5 Long-Absent Indie Directors Been?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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February 10, 2012 2:21 PM
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12 Comments

News

We were just having a conversation around The Playlist's office pinball machine this week ("Ghostbusters 2"-branded, in case you were wondering) about whatever happened to director Phil Morrison, who helmed the excellent "Junebug" back in 2006 (launching the career of Amy Adams in the process) only to seemingly disappear from the scene, with only a recent credit on HBO's "Enlightened" to his name. And then, barely 24 hours later, the news arrived that Morrison was back, with the comedy "Lucky Dog," which will star Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti and Sally Hawkins.

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