The Playlist

Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey & Sam Worthington Star In Simon West's 3D CG Mo-Cap 'Thunder Run'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 27, 2011 6:50 AM
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2 Comments

WTF Look out "Magic Mike," a new movie is coming to town that's gonna try and rival you in the beefcake department. But don't worry, it also sounds like one hundred bad ideas someone put together in a blender before hitting frappé.

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Juno Temple On Nudity, Looking For Prince Charming In 'Killer Joe' & The Influence Of 'Badlands'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 16, 2011 7:14 AM
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1 Comment

If "Killer Joe" and his previous collaboration with playwright Tracy Letts, "Bug," are anything to go by, William Friedkin should consider never working with anyone else again; together, the films are easily the best things he's made since his 1970s heyday, and worlds away from the anonymous thrillers that he made in the 2000s.

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'Take Shelter' Director Jeff Nichols Talks 'Mud,' Hopes To Have Michael Shannon In Supporting Role

By Christopher Bell
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September 13, 2011 7:55 AM
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3 Comments

Shannon Studying Ulysses S. Grant And Other Generals For His Zod Role In 'Superman'Things are looking pretty good for Arkansas filmmaker Jeff Nichols. A quick summer shoot for his sophomore offering "Take Shelter" (starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain) lead to it being sold to Sony Picture Classics before even playing the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The quiet, occasionally startling meditation on marriage and fatherhood received rave reviews during its time at both the former festival and Cannes, picking up two prizes from the Croisette on its way out. But Nichols didn't bask in the glory for too long, as he was already busy setting up his third feature, the Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon-lead "Mud."

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Venice '11 Review: 'Killer Joe' A Terrific Texan Tale With A Revelatory Matthew McConaughey Turn

By Oliver Lyttelton
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September 8, 2011 2:06 AM
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4 Comments

In recent years, film translations of stage hits haven't been as prevalent as they once were. You might get the occasional "Doubt" or "Rabbit Hole," for instance, but compared to the early days of the talkies, when a large proportion of movies were based on Broadway hits, it's been slim pickings; audiences and critics have learned that most attempts at stage-to-screen translation fail to make the material truly cinematic.

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Matthew McConaughey To Play Ex-Stripper In Steven Soderbergh's 'Magic Mike'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 16, 2011 12:58 PM
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4 Comments

Richard Linklater, William Friedkin, Lee Daniels, Jeff Nichols and now Steven Soderbergh. These are just some of the helmers Matthew McConaughey has worked with since 2009's "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past," the tedious rom-com that seems to have spooked the actor into ditching the easy paychecks that required little more than taking off his shirt, and digging into some real material. That said, this next project may find a reason for the actor yet to flex those pecs.

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Matthew McConaughey & Reese Witherspoon Will Get Dirty In 'Mud' For Director Jeff Nichols

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 5, 2011 8:53 AM
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5 Comments

Are we witnessing the renaissance of Matthew McConaughey? That would certainly appear to be the case. The actor seemed to be stuck in a rut of terrible rom-coms (see every movie he did with Kate Hudson) and failed tentpoles ("Sahara"), and we wondered what happened to the actor who charmed us in "Dazed & Confused" and impressed in "A Time To Kill." Well, the actor woke up one morning and decided to line up an array of solid film projects. This year has already seen "The Lincoln Lawyer" become a sleeper hit and favorite with critics and he's been busy lining up auteur-driven projects with Richard Linklater's "Bernie," William Friedkin's "Killer Joe" and Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" all coming. And now he's throwing his weight behind one of the best young American directors working right now.

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Will Ferrell & Matthew McConaughey To Return For The Third Season Of HBO's 'Eastbound & Down'

By Simon Dang
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July 13, 2011 2:34 AM
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4 Comments

One of the most quotable and riotously funny characters in popular culture at the moment has to be the anti-hero that is Kenny Powers from HBO's "Eastbound & Down," the brain child of Danny McBride, David Gordon-Green, Jody Hill and Ben Best.

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L.A. Film Fest Review: Richard Linklater's 'Bernie' Is A Good Man

By Leah Zak
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June 19, 2011 1:40 AM
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0 Comments

Meet Bernie: a man who has truly found his place in this world as an assistant funeral director and beloved member of the community in the small Texas town of Carthage. Soft spoken with an arguably effeminate Southern accent, of a round stature but always with admirable posture, Bernie Tiede is a gentleman. And a murderer. But the town of Carthage would really just like you to know that he is a gentleman.

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Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire & Zac Efron Starring In Lee Daniels' 'The Paperboy'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 13, 2011 6:18 AM
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0 Comments

'Modern Family' Star Sofia Vergara Confirmed For CastLee Daniels hasn't quite had Hollywood bowing before him in the same way that some directors do after picking up an Oscar nomination -- in his case, for "Precious." It's not that the director hasn't gotten involved in projects -- he's attached to no fewer than five, and two, the civil rights drama "Selma," and the White House-set tale "The Butler," were close to happening, with A-listers like Hugh Jackman and Denzel Washington attached. But the films never quite got going, for one reason or another, and Daniels is yet to make his follow-up to the film that made his name.

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'The Dallas Buyer's Club' Back On The Market With Matthew McConaughey

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 10, 2011 3:17 AM
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2 Comments

Credit where credit is due; it appears that Matthew McConaughey is done starring in mediocre paycheck fare. After spending years taking off his shirt and smirking through films like "Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past," "Fool's Gold," "Surfer Dude" and "Failure To Launch" (while failing to launch a franchise in "Sahara" and doing forgettable dramas like "Two For The Money"), the actor is striking out in some new directions. His upcoming flick, "The Lincoln Lawyer" seems to be getting better than expected advance buzz and he's lent his name to a couple of bold upcoming comedies, William Friedkin's "Killer Joe" and Richard Linklater's "Bernie." And now, the actor is circling a strong drama that has been stuck in development hell for years.

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