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Joseph Cedar Talks His Oscar Nominated 'Footnote' & Why Argument Is A Necessary Force

  • By Thomas Dodson
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  • March 9, 2012 9:59 AM
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  • 1 Comment
News
One of five nominees for this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, “Footnote” comes from award-winning writer-director Joseph Cedar, who at only 43 years of age, has already established an enviable track record with his work. The Israeli auteur’s latest creation -- which swept this year’s Ofirs (Israel’s Oscars) and garnered the Best Screenplay award at Cannes -- marks his second Oscar nomination, along with 2007’s “Beaufort.” The Playlist spoke with Mr. Cedar shortly before 2012’s Oscar nominees were announced.
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More: Joseph Cedar, Interviews

Willem Dafoe Talks Wearing Stilts & Working With Taylor Kitsch In Disney's Blockbuster 'John Carter'

  • By Jeff Otto
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  • March 7, 2012 12:04 PM
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  • 0 Comments
Features
At this point in his career, Willem Dafoe has the luxury of doing the films he wants to do. The actor’s tastes generally stray towards indie, but he’s unafraid of the mega-blockbuster when he does venture from his comfort zone. It’s hard to imagine Dafoe wasn’t offered other “big” films after his acclaimed turn as the Green Goblin in “Spider-Man,” but for the most part, following the superhero franchise, the actor reverted back to his roots of smaller scale filmmaking. But this spring finds him back at the multiplex in Disney’s “John Carter.” “I’m always happy to make a movie no matter what the size of it that looks like it’s got a pedigree and has a chance of being beautiful,” Dafoe tells The Playlist during a recent interview in Carefree, Arizona.
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More: Willem Dafoe, John Carter Of Mars, Interviews

On The Set: The Rewrites, Evolution & Accents That Come With A 'Five-Year Engagement'

  • By Leah Zak
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  • March 1, 2012 1:00 PM
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  • 1 Comment
Features
Last year, during filming for the upcoming “Five Year Engagement” The Playlist joined a group of press to visit the production on one of its more beautiful locations, a vineyard in northern California. While there, we had the opportunity to sit down with the film’s impressive ensemble cast, as well as get a sneak peek as their characters attended an engagement party for leads Tom and Violet (played by Jason Segel and Emily Blunt). Following are a few hints on what to expect from Nicholas Stoller’s third directorial effort when it premieres at Tribeca Film Festival this spring, before arriving in theatres on April 27th.
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More: Five-Year Engagement, Nicholas Stoller, Jason Segel, Interviews

'The Forgiveness Of Blood' Director Joshua Marston Talks Making The Film, Being Disqualified For An Oscar & His Career

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • February 21, 2012 2:22 PM
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  • 2 Comments
News
Joshua Marston hit the scene hard with his taut, harrowing drug-mule drama "Maria Full of Grace," and though he's been quiet since (not by choice -- more on that to come), this year will see the release of his sophomore effort "The Forgiveness Of Blood." His second outing once more takes him away from the comforting soils of the States, this time to Southeast Europe, landing in the Republic of Albania.
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More: Joshua Martson, The Forgiveness Of Blood, Interviews, Newsroom

'Submarine' Star Craig Roberts Talks Berlin Pic 'Comes A Bright Day' & New Projects With Derick Martini & Cillian Murphy

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • February 20, 2012 9:56 AM
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  • 2 Comments
Features
One of the more impressive screen debuts of last year came from 21-year-old Welsh actor Craig Roberts. A British children's TV veteran (he was the star of "The Story Of Tracy Beaker" and "Young Dracula" among others), Roberts broke out as the pretentious, deluded hero of Richard Ayoade's charming "Submarine," coming across as equal parts Dustin Hoffman, Bud Cort and John Gordon Sinclair (from "Gregory's Girl"), and it seemed to mark the birth of a star.
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More: Craig Roberts, Comes A Bright Day, Berlin International Film Festival, Interviews, Derick Martini, Red Lights, The First Time

Brillante Mendoza Discusses Working With Isabelle Huppert On 'Captive' & His Smaller-Scale, Manila-Set Next Project

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • February 17, 2012 1:34 PM
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  • 1 Comment
Features
Brillante Mendoza has a killer work ethic: the Filipino director made nine films between 2005's "Masahista" and 2009's "Lola," the latter of which, along with Cannes in-competition entry "Kinatay" the same year, really launched him into the major leagues of international helmers. He's taken an uncharacteristic two-and-a-half year break, but returned this week at the Berlin Film Festival with "Captive," a gripping, Herzogian drama that should see him reach his widest audience yet, thanks to the presence of international star Isabelle Huppert.
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More: Brillante Mendoza, Captive, Captured, Isabelle Huppert, Berlin International Film Festival, Interviews

Guy Maddin On The "Sweet Sadness" Of 'Keyhole' & His Love For 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • February 17, 2012 10:57 AM
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  • 0 Comments
Features
You could forgive Guy Maddin for feeling a little put out at the moment. The Canadian filmmaker has, for nearly 25 years, been faithfully paying homage to the early days of cinema with films like "Archangel," "Twilight of the Ice Nymphs" and "The Saddest Music In The World" to little commercial success, only to see "The Artist" become an awards-laden phenomenon this year. But actually (as we'll see) Maddin hasn't been paying much attention. Instead, he's been focused on his latest film, the gangster memory tale, "Keyhole," with Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini and Udo Kier, among others.
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More: Berlin International Film Festival, Guy Maddin, Keyhole, Interviews

"For Me, There Was No Character": Isabelle Huppert Discusses The Making Of Brillante Mendoza's 'Captive'

  • By Jessica Kiang
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  • February 16, 2012 2:06 PM
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  • 1 Comment
Features
Few actresses are quite as fearless as Isabelle Huppert. She's been a near-legend for going on forty years, but has never taken a paycheck job, preferring to seek out challenging work with some of international cinema's most uncompromising auteurs. And that's embodied neatly in "Captive," her collaboration with Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, which just premiered at the Berlin Film Festival.
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More: Berlin International Film Festival, Interviews, Isabelle Huppert, Captive, Brillante Mendoza

'Return' Star & Director Linda Cardellini & Liza Johnson Discuss Telling The Story Of A Soldier's Transition To Civillian Life

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • February 10, 2012 11:01 AM
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  • 0 Comments
News
"Return," the feature film debut by visual artist Liza Johnson, shakes up the traditional soldier's story by centering on a female protagonist, as she adjusts to her home life following a Middle East deployment. The film stars Linda Cardellini ("Freaks and Geeks," "ER") as Kelli, a woman who has trouble adjusting to the typical civilian life she left behind. Instead of finding comfort, she's more at odds with her environment, unable to enjoy the quiet moments with her husband Mike (Michael Shannon) or fall back into the easy routine of the job she left behind. Unable and unwilling to convey the despair within, Kelli soon finds her relationships and sanity crumbling without any idea of how to return to normalcy.
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More: Linda Cardellini, Liza Johnson, Michael Shannon, Return, Interviews

Michael Shannon Talks 'Return' & His Experience Making The Indie Film

  • By Christopher Bell
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  • February 9, 2012 11:03 AM
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  • 0 Comments
News
Looking for strong roles for women in film? Look no further than this week's "Return," (read our review here), a compelling tale of a woman unable to settle into her suburban life after she returns home from a tour of duty overseas. The debut feature by visual artist Liza Johnson, the film is an assured, bold look at a mother and wife who's become a stranger to her own life all wrapped up in a slick combination between Michelangelo Antonioni's "Red Desert" and the stark realism employed by the Dardenne Brothers. It's got quite a great amount of talent behind it, with Linda Cardellini ("Freaks and Geeks") in the lead role of Kelli and a supporting cast of Michael Shannon and John Slattery ("Mad Men") all giving ace performances.
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More: Michael Shannon, Linda Cardellini, Liza Johnson, Return, Interviews

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