The Playlist

Cannes 2013: Surprises & Notable Absence ...

The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.

Interviews

Anna Kendrick Joins Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here,' Zac Efron & Amber Heard To Star In Eran Creevy's 'Autobahn'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 16, 2013 10:39 AM
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2 Comments

News

Damn it. Just when we thought we were going to be able to ignore Zach Braff's controversially crowd-sourced sophomore feature, he goes and casts Anna Kendrick. According to The Wrap, the "Pitch Perfect" star, so often the best thing in whatever she's in, has joined the cast of Braff's currently-prepping "Wish I Was Here." The actress will play the love interest of Braff's character's brother (Josh Gad), a young cosplayer named Janine. Manic Pixie Dream Girl alert! Mandy Patinkin is also in the cast (Mandy Patinkin Dream Girl alert!), and Kendrick will next be seen in the questionable-looking "Rapturepalooza," which opens on June 7th.

By The Playlist
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October 22, 2011 4:36 AM
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1 Comment

-- by William Goss

By Gabe Toro
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July 7, 2011 2:02 AM
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6 Comments

An open field. A girl. A fire. A mystery. Ignoring a brief and ultimately irrelevant prologue, the beginning of “The Ward” immediately pulls us into the story of a classic horror convention, the Survivor Girl. Except, tantalizingly, we don’t know what she’s survived and, given a few orchestral cues, we may even question whether she has survived or not.

By Christopher Bell
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May 12, 2011 7:32 AM
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5 Comments

Everything's set to go for "Syrup," which will be author Max Barry's first big screen production of his debut novel. The very favorably-reviewed book will be directed by Aram Rappaport (upcoming "Summer Song" starring "Spy Kids" Alex Vega) and be lead by Shiloh Fernandez from the abhorrent "Red Riding Hood" (and the relatively interesting "Skateland") and Amber Heard from the anticipated, but seemingly long-delayed Hunter S. Thompson flick "The Rum Diary."

By Leah Zak
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February 26, 2011 6:20 AM
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1 Comment

"Drive Angry 3D" is everything it wants to be. And slightly more. If one wonders to what extent filmmakers have NOT been using 3D, director Patrick Lussier answers with this picture, a crazy, bad dudes-and-fast-cars camp classic in the making. Shocking, grotesque, and completely ridiculous, audiences will get what they paid for. Or at least what they sneak in for using their leftover 3D glasses from "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never." Between this and his surprisingly satisfying remake of "My Bloody Valentine," Lussier might be shaping up to be the first genuine post-millennial 3D exploitation auteur... or something.

By Leah Zak
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February 25, 2011 6:09 AM
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2 Comments

Patrick Lussier & Todd Farmer Call Amber Heard The "Anti-Damsel In Distress" & Espouse The Emotional Impact Of 3DExclusive: We recently had the opportunity to sit down for an interview with “Drive Angry 3D” director Patrick Lussier (henceforth occasionally referred to as PL) and writer Todd Farmer (henceforth occasionally referred to as TF). We reported on what they had to say regarding their some upcoming new projects yesterday, but we learned a few more things during the chat that we thought you should know. Read on for more on the emotional impact of 3D, William Fichtner’s embodiment of a truly odd antagonist and Amber Heard’s anti-Damsel in Distress character.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 10, 2011 7:27 AM
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7 Comments

There's Also Going To Be A 'Conan 2'One project that fell apart, breaking geek hearts in the process, was Robert Rodriguez's "Red Sonja." With Rose McGowan in the lead, the project made it through concept art phases but never went beyond, and eventually both Rodriguez and McGowan moved on to other things. But the project is still alive and kicking, and in a recent conversation with Empire, producer Avi Lerner dropped some news on who will be directing the film and who he'd like to step into the red-haired role.