The Playlist

Interview: Brit Marling Takes Us On A Tour Of 'Another Earth'

By Gabe Toro
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July 19, 2011 10:40 AM
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1 Comment

In this week's "Another Earth," rising star Brit Marling plays Rhoda, a troubled young woman who is released from prison after serving a sentence for a fatal drunk driving incident. She eventually comes into the life of the grieving father John (William Mapother) whose child she killed all while the rest of the world deals with a mirror version of Earth appearing in the sky, hidden behind the Sun. Marling, who co-wrote the film with director Mike Cahill, has become a major personality in the indie film world with both "Another Earth" and "Sound Of My Voice" (also co-written by, and starring Marling) surprising both the arthouse and genre fans as they've done the festival rounds. "Another Earth" walked away from Sundance this year with a distribution deal with Fox Searchlight and two prizes for director Mike Cahill.

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Interview: Writers Christopher Marcus & Stephen McFeely Discuss Patriotism & ‘Captain America'

By Jeff Otto
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July 19, 2011 2:22 AM
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3 Comments

Marvel’s most patriotic superhero, Captain America, is finally getting his just due on the big screen after years of attempts and misfires like the corny 1990 release you’ve probably never heard of (count yourself lucky) featuring Matt Salinger in the red, white and blue man tights.

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Interview: Errol Morris Talks The Anxiety Of Making 'Tabloid' & Finding The Laughter In His Films

By Christopher Bell
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July 13, 2011 10:27 AM
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2 Comments

In a time where documentaries are made cheaply and are often no more than glossy, agenda-pushing propaganda bulleted lists, filmmakers like Errol Morris seem even more admirable. Starting in 1978 with the amusing "Gates of Heaven" (which followed a number of people who had beloved animals buried in a California pet cemetery), the man alternated between scrutinizing the weird and picking apart the political, triumphing in both camps due to both his respectful and prudent attitude. He even invented his own interviewing technique called the "Interrotron" which, using two-way mirrors in a similar way a teleprompter would work, allows both camps to see the face of who they are talking to while directly looking into the camera. Because of this intimacy, Morris' films not only avoid the dullness that many talking head flicks fall into, but it also constructs a very personal audience connection to each speaker. As he probes into each subject, he's never condescending, but often unearths uncomfortable truths and manages to portray each person as not just a tool to prove whatever point he's trying to make, but as a complicated human being.

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Interview: 'Horrible Bosses' Director Seth Gordon Reveals The Original Ending Of The Film

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 9, 2011 9:26 AM
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3 Comments

Also Talks Improv & The Influence Of 'Shallow Grave'If your job is making you feel murderous, there is perhaps no better cathartic experience at the multiplex this weekend than "Horrible Bosses." The comedy stars Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell, Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Aniston and follows three friends, each dealing with an unbearable boss who is making their life hell, when they decide to do the unthinkable: they are going to kill their bosses. Enlisting the help of a "murder consultant" -- the appropriately named Motherfucker Jones -- the hapless trio sets out on their mission but of course, it's far more complicated than they ever could have imagined.

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Interview: John C. Reilly Talks The Hardships Of Being A Guidance Counselor In 'Terri'

By Christopher Bell
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June 30, 2011 5:29 AM
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2 Comments

High school is painfully dull, incredibly awkward, and definitely not what teen-comedies make them out to be. Sure there are parties and sex, but as far as the day-to-day routine goes, it's less like "American Pie" and more in tune with the "Elephant" (well, at least the film's first two thirds…) Maybe some of us have fond memories of those later teen years, but honestly, Judd Apatow hit the nail on the head with this quote: “College is the reward for surviving high school. Most people have great fun stories from college and nightmare stories from high school.”

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Interview: 'Super 8' Star Joel Courtney Was Just Looking For A Commercial Gig And $100

By Leah Zak
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June 11, 2011 6:00 AM
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12 Comments

Instead The Newcomer Landed the Lead Role In An Abrams/Spielberg Summer BlockbusterOf the varied critical reactions to "Super 8," everyone does seem to concur on one thing: that the film's young leads give some strong performances. But, with the exception of Elle Fanning -- who at the age of just 13 has already built herself a solid resume -- most of the group are new faces, most notably "Super 8"’s lead, Joel Courtney.

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Monte Hellman Says 'Road To Nowhere' Was A "Group Subconscious Experience"

By Gabe Toro
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June 11, 2011 5:00 AM
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0 Comments

This weekend, Monte Hellman‘s “Road To Nowhere” opens. Somehow, no one has acknowledged that this is an event; Hellman, the vaunted director of “Two Lane Blacktop” and “The Shooting,” hasn’t made a movie since 1989. Things are a bit different this time around, as Hellman is working with much more unconventional material, with “Road To Nowhere” focusing on a murder-mystery happening in a movie-within-a-movie, with actors playing multiple roles within two separate storylines that keep dovetailing into each other. If you ask Hellman, who still believes, “No explanations, no apologies, and above all, no refunds,” this elaborate structure was more of an experiment of the subconscious, an attempt at trial-and-error than a purposeful artistic decision.

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Interview: 'Viva Riva' Filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga Hopes To Usher In A New Wave Of Congolese Cinema

By Leah Zak
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June 10, 2011 7:30 AM
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4 Comments

Director Talks His Roots and What Brought Him Back Home For His Feature DebutWe won’t give you a history lesson here (there are other corners of the Internet for that) but as anyone privy to a newscast for at least the last decade knows, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has had a tumultuous and violent political life following their independence from Belgium in 1960. For filmmaker Djo Tunda Wa Munga however, his home country, rife with such violence and change, presents an interesting perspective to bring to the cinematic scene.

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Interview: 'Bobby Fischer Against the World' Director Liz Garbus Talks Taking On A Grandmaster

By Drew Taylor
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June 7, 2011 3:11 AM
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1 Comment

Tonight HBO premieres “Bobby Fischer Against the World,” an absolutely phenomenal film that kicks off their summer-long documentary programming -- every Monday night -- you can read our review, from earlier today, here. It premiered at Sundance in January, where it won rave reviews and earned its director, the Academy Award-nominated Liz Garbus, further acclaim.

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Interview: Director Radu Muntean Talks 'Tuesday, After Christmas' & Prison-Set Documentary

By Drew Taylor
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May 31, 2011 5:14 AM
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1 Comment

If you’re looking for a quiet, meditative, occasionally sexy adult drama (that doesn’t involve the creation of life as we know it or dinosaurs), then you should really seek out “Tuesday, After Christmas,” which is the first truly must-see Romanian New Wave movie since “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” It’s a love triangle that, instead of played out in vignettes meant to shock or titillate, is captured in long, unbroken shots that linger uncomfortably as you literally watch a marriage decompose before your very eyes. It’s absolutely riveting stuff, and the kind of small scale movie that too easily slips through the cracks amidst the pirates and kung-fu pandas bombarding cinemas nationwide. We spoke to the film’s director, Radu Muntean, on the Wednesday, Before Memorial Day, about the film’s intentions, its unflinching sense of reality, his place on the Romanian New Wave, and what’s coming next.

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