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The Playlist
The obsessives' guide to contemporary cinema via film discussion, news, reviews, features, nostalgia, movie music, soundtracks, DVDs and more.Interviews
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Greta Gerwig Talks 'Frances Ha' & Working With Noah Baumbach -
Joel Edgerton On 'Wish You Were Here,' 'Jane' Drama & More -
James Gray On 'The Immigrant,' 'The Gray Man,' 'The Lost City Of Z' And More -
Brit Marling Talks 'The East' & Espionage Thrillers -
Nicolas Winding Refn Discusses 'Only God Forgives -
Justin Lin Talks 'Fast Furious 6' & The Influence Of Altman -
Interview: Noah Baumbach Talks 'Frances Ha' -
Ben Wheatley Talks 'Sightseers,' Violence & More -
Mark Romanek On 'One Hour Photo' & Leaving 'Cinderella'
The Playlist
NYFF Review: 'Leviathan' An Otherworldly Peek At A Life At Sea
- By Gabe Toro
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- October 11, 2012 8:59 PM
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- 1 Comment
Every sound in “Leviathan” is a shuddering staccato. Every visual wears darkness like a cloak. With absolutely no context, there’s no awareness of what’s up or down. When it is promoted, the ads will suggest “Leviathan” is a documentary, and a scan of the press notes will reveal exactly where the film is set, and what’s taking place onscreen. But those peripheral elements are not the text, they are distraction. The experience of “Leviathan” is wholly singular, without context, enveloping and immersive. In some ways, it might very well be the most terrifying picture of the year.
NYFF Review: 'Outrage Beyond' Is Pure Unfiltered Takeshi Kitano
- By Gabe Toro
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- October 11, 2012 7:04 PM
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- 0 Comments
Suckas better recognize, because Takeshi Kitano is back, and he ain’t suffering no fools. “Outrage Beyond” is the most violent and brutal of Kitano’s body of work yet, and considering the writer-director-star is known for his shocking, graphic Yakuza dramas, that’s something worth noting. As back-to-basics as “Outrage” seemed, coming after a string of quieter, more experimental fare from the filmmaker that never even reached American shores, “Outrage Beyond” takes the standard gangster movie template and blasts it out of the water. Yet, for all it’s violence, “Outrage Beyond” is unmistakably a work of the master himself, feeling like a more contemporary chapter of the book Kitano’s been writing for a long time, in a similar manner as Martin Scorsese tackling “The Departed.”
Leos Carax Says The Mysterious & Bizarre 'Holy Motors' Began With His "Rage" Of Being Away From Cinema For 13 Years
- By Drew Taylor
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- October 10, 2012 7:01 PM
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- 2 Comments
Chances are that you've never seen anything quite like "Holy Motors," Leos Carax's farcical but deeply felt odyssey through modern Paris (and his first feature in almost thirteen years -- you can read our review from Cannes here). At a New York Film Festival press screening for the film, Carax chatted with critic Amy Taubin and took questions from the audience, but those looking for answers to his deeply mysterious concoction will be left disappointed. Such is "Holy Motors."
Abbas Kiarostami Wants To Reteam With Juliette Binoche, Talks 'Like Someone In Love' & Weighs In On The 'Innocence Of Muslims'
- By Christopher Bell
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- October 10, 2012 4:59 PM
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- 4 Comments
Perennial Iranian director/legend Abbas Kiarostami’s second filmmaking-holiday (the first being the wonderful “Certified Copy”) finds him in Japan, observing two days in the life of an unlikely trio: a student moonlighting as a call girl, her aged, patriarchal client, and the woman’s hot-head boyfriend. “Like Someone In Love” contains many of the auteur’s persistent fascinations -- long car rides, lengthy conversation, numerous off camera actions and characters, leisurely pacing -- but has the unfortunate position of coming directly after a very unique, wonderful piece of cinema. Reactions have been quite mixed since its first festival appearance early this year (our man at Cannes was not as impressed while this writer thought it was lovely) but most can agree that it’s a visually stunning film with plenty of substance to ruminate on.
NYFF: Brian DePalma & Noah Baumbach Discuss Friendship, Fraternity & Filmmaking In A Career-Spanning Conversation
- By Cory Everett
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- October 10, 2012 10:02 AM
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- 3 Comments
At first glance, the idea of pairing filmmakers Noah Baumbach and Brian De Palma together for an onstage conversation doesn’t seem to make any sense at all. After all, what would the filmmaker behind intimate character pieces like “The Squid & The Whale” and “Greenberg” have to say to the master stylist responsible for “Scarface” and “Carrie,” whose career has been built on swooning, impossible camera moves and nail-biting suspense? This idea only appears unconventional until you see Baumbach (accompanied by girlfriend/actress Greta Gerwig) at two showings of DePalma’s latest, “Passion,” which is now screening at the New York Film Festival. As it turns out, the filmmakers are friends and mutual admirers, and organizers have been trying to coordinate an onstage pairing for years.
NYFF: David Chase & Steve Van Zandt Talk The Music That Drove Them To 'Not Fade Away'
- By Gabe Toro
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- October 6, 2012 11:30 AM
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- 0 Comments
As the movie entered common film-buff conversation, talk persisted that David Chase’s directorial debut “Not Fade Away” was autobiographical. The creator of “The Sopranos” had crafted a nostalgic tale set in the era in which he came of age, with a young group of mavericks dreaming of stardom from their garage band setups, and many claimed we were watching the life story of the TV legend. Speaking to the New York Film Festival audience upon the film’s premiere, Chase was quick to squash that talk immediately.
"It's Like A Love Affair": Nicole Kidman Talks Working with Stanley Kubrick, Lars Von Trier & More At The New York Film Festival
- By Rodrigo Perez
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- October 5, 2012 4:52 PM
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- 9 Comments
On Tuesday, Nicole Kidman was in Paris playing Grace Kelly in the upcoming biopic “Grace of Monaco.” Hours later she was on a stage in New York, being feted by the New York Film Festival in a Gala career retrospective and conversation. "Life's a dream," she marveled.
NYFF Review: 'Memories Look At Me' A Comforting, Modest Micro Indie
- By Christopher Bell
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- October 5, 2012 3:01 PM
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- 0 Comments
Song Fang's "Memories Look At Me" is a tough one: while the filmmaker's debut is a lovely, pleasant experience, it's extremely difficult to make the movie sound at all appealing. A large percentage of it takes place in a single apartment, with each dialogue-heavy scene generally composed of a single static shot; the camera with a view of either someone's side or back, but rarely their front. There's no plot, arcs, narrative thrust, or anything of the kind. Party poopers will quickly decry that "nothing happens" and, honestly, they wouldn't be wrong. But mysteriously, the intensely slice-of-life 'Memories' works, and its comforting nature and attention to real moments make for an especially soothing experience.
NYFF Review: Rock 'N' Roll Dreams Are Fleeting & Familiar In David Chase's Uneven 'Not Fade Away'
- By Rodrigo Perez
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- October 5, 2012 2:04 PM
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- 5 Comments
For a film that’s ostensibly set to the vibrant pulse of early ‘60s rock 'n' roll and blues -- The Rolling Stones, the early Beatles, Bo Diddley, etc. -- David Chase’s directorial debut, “Not Fade Away,” sure has a curious, circuitous and eventually long-winded tempo. Set in 1964, just a few months after the Kennedy assassination with Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement and the sexual revolution in the air, “The Sopranos” creator’s ambitions are decidedly simpler and much more small scale.
NYFF Review: 'Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries And Mentors Of Ricky Jay' Is A Deeply Magical Biography of the Illusionist
- By Drew Taylor
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- October 4, 2012 2:04 PM
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- 3 Comments
Nowadays, with the abundance and popularity of fantasy literature and cinema, when someone says "magic," they immediately conjure images of entrenched warlocks and fire-breathing dragons. The art and performance of practical magic – things like card tricks and making stuff disappear – has faded into the background, unless you stumble upon one of those neverending loops of David Blaine specials on cable or remember how David Copperfield was once one of America's most popular celebrities (he did have great hair). But as "Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay," an intriguing (if intermittently stuffy) biography of a true master magician, shows – practical magic can be just as thrilling as anything you see on "Game of Thrones."
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Recent Comments
Also, blaming Pixar for things out of their control (such as commercial marketing) is unfair - that
A terrible article that misses so many of the great things in the films. You talk about the
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I feel the "old sport" catchphrase was 100% necessary. The
I liked Brave way more than Up - Pixar's worst in my opinion (haven't seen Cars 2)
Reg: your comment on Zack Snyder's name. I am somewhat inclined to believe that as well. Except
I saw that one on it´s release back then in Germany at age 14....and you can be sure that this is
Damn.... May he rest is peace. He was a MAGNIFICENT actor.
"...with a complete lack of progression to the narrative." "This man is not our
im not a grammar nazi in the slightest but dear lord can someone read over these posts just once
I totally disagree, the movie really wasn't spectacular. IT HAS NOTHING to do with Christopher