The Playlist

Review: 'World War Z' Starring Brad Pitt

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 7, 2013 8:56 AM
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18 Comments

Reviews

"World War Z" was always going to be a difficult nut to crack. The book of the same name, by son-of-Mel Max Brooks, was a bestseller a few years back, and a somewhat atypical one; a brainy, grim faux oral history of a zombie apocalypse that wiped out most of the world's population. It made enough of a dent in pop culture to warrant a movie adaptation, but it wasn't going to be an easy translation with no main character and a documentary-like format. So it's no surprise that the film was several years in development, and that even once filming got underway, it had one of the more publicly troubled shoots in memory, with reports flying of budget overages, script triage and extensive pick ups.

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Preview: 20 Minutes Of 'Lone Ranger' Features Giant Trains, Possessed Rabbits And Palpable Chemistry

By Drew Taylor
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April 25, 2013 2:37 PM
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7 Comments

News

One of the biggest question marks of the summer is Disney's colossal "The Lone Ranger" reboot. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski, the epic western looks to contemporize the thirties pulp hero for modern audiences, with Armie Hammer donning the mask and white hat of the titular Ranger, with Johnny Depp, once again in kabuki make-up, assuming the role of Tonto, the Ranger's Native American sidekick and trusted friend. It's a big risk (like $250 million big) to spend so much money on a genre that has more or less been regulated to the sidelines. But last night at a special presentation in New York, Disney (along with Bruckheimer and Hammer, who were on hand for the event) previewed twenty minutes of footage from the movie, and made it known that "The Lone Ranger" can easily compete with all the superheroes and comic book movies the summer of 2013 has to offer.

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Review: 'Iron Man 3' Is A Solid, Sometimes Surprising Start To Marvel's Phase Two Movies

By Oliver Lyttelton
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April 23, 2013 10:38 PM
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16 Comments

Reviews

After just about as successful a start as you could ask for (three new franchises, and one mega-franchise that kicked off with the third biggest movie of all time), the Marvel movie machine is moving into its next phase. And with it comes the risk of dilution; we're getting at least two movies a year (plus TV series "Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D"), and with countless other superheroes also in the marketplace, there's a chance that diminishing returns could set in; what was once a special chance to see much-loved characters on the big screen might simply become a bi-annual check in to see much of what we've seen before.

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Melissa Leo & James Badge Dale Take 'Flight' Together

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 30, 2011 12:26 PM
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1 Comment

Update: Shadow & Act reveal that "Franklin & Bash" star Garcelle Beauvais has also joined the cast.

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Watch: Two Minute, Blondie-Aided Clip For Steve McQueen's 'Shame' With Michael Fassbender

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 20, 2011 1:03 AM
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3 Comments

The best films aren't necessarily the ones you walk out of raving about, but the ones that haunt you, lingering on your mind for the days, weeks and months afterwards. When we saw "Shame," Steve McQueen's follow up to his debut "Hunger," which reteams the director with star Michael Fassbender, we liked it very, very much indeed, but had a few issues with it that perhaps stopped it from reaching the very top tier of films we saw in Venice.

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Venice '11 Review: 'Shame' A Fascinating Follow-Up To 'Hunger,' With A Tour-De-Force From Fassbender

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 4, 2011 11:57 AM
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9 Comments

As English-language directorial debuts in the last few years go, Steve McQueen's "Hunger" ranks up there as one of the most uncompromising. An award-winning, sometimes controversial British artist, McQueen chose to move into feature film by examining the life of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, managing not to flinch from any of the grim details, using takes of up to 20 minutes in length, and showcasing a tour-de-force performance from the now firmly-planted-on-the-A-list Michael Fassbender. It picked up an enormous amount of critical support, including the Camera D'Or at Cannes in 2008, and signified both director and star as major talents to watch.

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Dwight Yoakam Will Giddy-Up As The Villain In The 'Lone Ranger'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 19, 2011 10:27 AM
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0 Comments

Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale & Helena Bonham Carter Also Getting Ready To Saddle UpIf there is one thing that country musician and actor Dwight Yoakam does well, its act like an asshole and sleazebag. Billy Bob Thornton knew this when he cast him as the memorably repulsive Doyle Hargraves in "Sling Blade" and David Fincher realized his presence alone was worth more than pages of dialogue when he tasked Yoakam to play the unpredictable and violent Raoul. He can also be wryly funny as he's displayed in "Crank" and "Wedding Crashers" but he's gearing up for this biggest movie yet.

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'Rubicon' Star James Badge Dale Circling Role Alongside Brad Pitt In 'World War Z'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 11, 2011 1:14 AM
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6 Comments

James Badge Dale might not be a name that's immediately familiar to you, but increasingly, it's a face that you'll recognize: the actor had key roles on "24" (as Jack Bauer's sidekick Chase) and in "The Departed" (as the bent copper who pops Leo in the head at the end), before landing two big leads last year, on HBO's "The Pacific" and AMC's "Rubicon," proving to be an intense, yet likable presence.

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Carey Mulligan Reportedly Joining Michael Fassbender In Steve McQueen's Sex Addiction Drama 'Shame'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 29, 2010 9:31 AM
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1 Comment

'Rubicon' Star James Badge Dale Also On Board As fans of award-winning-artist-turned-director Steve McQueen's debut feature, 2008's powerful "Hunger," there are few projects we're quite as excited about for 2011 as his sophomore film, "Shame." As announced a few months back, the film will see McQueen reteam with his "Hunger" star Michael Fassbender, in a drama about a sex addict in New York. It will be the first role the actor takes after playing Magneto in "X-Men: First Class,"

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