The Playlist

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

Interviews

Exclusive: James Franco Discusses His Pact With Catherine Keener In Clip From 'Maladies'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 4, 2013 10:57 AM
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0 Comments

News

While James Franco will be starring in the fantastical "Oz The Great And Powerful" opening this weekend, the busy multi-hyphenate has another movie making its way to audiences as well. "Maladies" finds the actor once again stretching his wings, in a movie that finds him alongside talent like Catherine Keener and David Strathairn.

By Jessica Kiang
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February 11, 2013 11:03 AM
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4 Comments

Festivals

Carrying the dubious distinction of being a film that managed to try our patience after just five minutes, “Maladies” is for us best summed up in one word: wasteful. It is wasteful of the considerable talents of a fabulous cast, wasteful of a pleasingly off-kilter visual approach, and wasteful of our time. It is even wasteful of a director whose instincts, no matter how much he may want to kick against them, seem to lie more in the direction of the kind of classical, straightforward story he is at pains here to not give us.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 8, 2013 1:44 PM
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3 Comments

News

Yes, it's James Franco Project #A-9087B-X7, but we'll say this about the prolific actor/writer/director/producer -- his choices are never dull. Indeed, "Maladies" is on our list of 5 Most Anticipated Movies Of The 2013 Berlin Film Festival, and the cast, which also includes Catherine Keener and David Strathairn, is one that we'd be curious to check out in almost anything. And with subject matter such as schizophrenia and sexuality in the mix, the blend could be potent, but we have to be honest: now that the first trailer is here, we're not sure what to think.

By Oliver Lyttelton
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February 6, 2013 3:26 PM
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Features

We're still brushing the snow off our metaphorical evening wear from the Sundance Film Festival, which feels like it ended only yesterday, and yet tomorrow sees the second stop of The Playlist's 2013 festival roadshow get underway, with the opening night of the Berlin Film Festival. The earliest in the year of the Big Three European festivals (alongside Cannes and Venice), the Berlinale, founded in the German capital in 1951, is traditionally one of the most prestigious events in the movie calendar.

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 16, 2012 5:38 PM
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News

More first looks from the Cannes marketplace this evening, with a pair of star-studded indies looking to find distribution at home and abroad before the Croisette empties out. First up, there's comedy-drama "The Longest Week," from debut feature writer/director Peter Glanz, who was behind AMC's web series "The Trivial Pursuits of Arthur Banks." The film's got an impressive cast, led by "Arrested Development" star Jason Bateman, and also including Billy Crudup and Olivia Wilde. Images, a poster and a synopsis below, and click on to page two for your first look at James Franco starrer "Maladies."

By Oliver Lyttelton
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December 8, 2010 1:50 AM
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3 Comments

Project Is Payoff To Franco's 'General Hospital' RoleJames Franco's had a pretty good 2010, but his 2011 is likely to be even better. The polymath will kick things off by not only co-hosting the Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway, but also with a near certain-nomination at the awards for his stunning performance in Danny Boyle's "127 Hours." April will then see him topline the fantasy comedy "Your Highness," and the summer will see him take on his first full-flung blockbuster lead in 20th Century Fox's "Rise of the Apes."