The Playlist

Review: 'Talking Funny' Isn't Quite The Same As Being Funny

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 22, 2011 2:34 AM
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3 Comments

Here's the thing about comedians -- they take the business of being funny, very very seriously. One of the most competitive and unforgiving avenues in the entertainment biz, it's never about how funny you were, it's always about how funny you're going to be. Once the punchlines vanishes, the audience waits for the next round and in a way, telling jokes is like asking a sculptor to continually create new work that not only builds on the previous one, but adds to it. Almost by nature, comedians are insecure, forever polishing, refining, writing and changing their act in the pursuit of perfection. But it's that unquenchable desire for the ultimate laugh, that makes the great comedians stand out. With so much more than meets the eye to the world of stand-up comedy, the idea of sitting down four of the biggest names right now for a chat about their jobs seems like a no brainer but unfortunately, the all-too-brief "Talking Funny" only skims the surface.

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Review: 'Bang Bang Club' Never Quite Gets Completely Behind The Camera

By Danielle Johnsen
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April 22, 2011 1:59 AM
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0 Comments

"The Bang Bang Club" is the real life story of four photojournalists who captured the horrific civil unrest and brutal violence during the end of South Africa’s apartheid in the early 90s. Films about war time violence aren’t new, but with the current events in the Middle East, and specifically the recent tragic death of photojournalist and "Restrepo" director Tim Hetherington, this movie ventures to let us feel what it's like to be on these front lines.

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Review: 'Legend Of The Fist' Is Probably Worth Telling...Once

By Gabe Toro
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April 21, 2011 7:46 AM
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0 Comments

This Friday sees the release of "Legend Of The Fist: The Return Of Chen Zhen." For the uninitiated, Chen Zhen is kind of a big deal in Hong Kong, so the subtitle is meant to refer to the character as played by Donnie Yen (here reprising his role) in a hit television series. The series borrows both from historical myth and a previous Bruce Lee film, so there's the slight assumption that you don't exactly need elaboration regarding Zhen's identity. Essentially, imagine if you had never heard of Indiana Jones but were now watching, "Young Indiana Jones: The Movie." We forgive your confusion.

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Review: 'Incendies' A Strong Film Ultimately Held Back By A Nauseating Final Plot Twist

By Christopher Bell
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April 21, 2011 4:22 AM
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8 Comments

Oh egregious plot twists, when will you stop ruining our movies? You've already turned us against M. Night Shyamalan (though we can't blame you for his last three disasters) and consistently do everything you can to obliterate affection for anything that precedes you. Well, we're not going to let you win this time, because Denis Villeneuve's 2011 Foreign Oscar contender "Incendies" was completely competent before you reared your despicable head. Maybe it's not very profound, but there's good work here. You'll get yours in a little bit.

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Review: 'Cinema Verite' Reveals The Not So Surprising Truth Behind Reality TV

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 21, 2011 3:01 AM
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0 Comments

Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini are no strangers to tackling everyday characters and people who are caught within somewhat unreal circumstances. There was Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor" whose own eccentricity made him a star; Kevin Kline's Henry Harrison in "The Extra Man" who as an escort for wealthy widows was an eye-opener for Paul Dano's Louis Ives and even Annie Braddock in "The Nanny Diaries" finds herself in the strange world of the well-heeled in New York City. Thus, with "Cinema Verite," the directors find themselves firmly -- if somewhat a little too comfortably -- in their wheelhouse. The film goes behind-the-scenes of the legendary and groundbreaking PBS documentary "An American Family" which chronicled the Loud brood, largely at their ugliest and most dramatic. Airing in 1973, the 12-part series was both a hit with ten million viewers and a scandal for tarnishing the wholesome image of the typical middle class American family.

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Review: We Aren't Buying Morgan Spurlock's 'Greatest Movie Ever Sold'

By Drew Taylor
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April 20, 2011 3:46 AM
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1 Comment

The following is a reprint of our review from SXSW.

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Review: 'Stake Land' Offers Few Variations On A Vampire Apocalypse

By Gabe Toro
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April 20, 2011 2:33 AM
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0 Comments

Why is it that so many filmmakers have switched to low-fi hi-def cameras? The cynical answer is also the easy one: it’s much cheaper. But, when asked to justify the stylistic choice, most will opt for “verisimilitude,” which frequently makes little sense. “Stake Land” is a superb argument against this mentality, taking place in a genre -- post-apocalyptic horror road movie -- where “verisimilitude” has been accepted as a default from unimaginative filmmakers. In essence, why would we want verisimilitude to capture the umpteenth variation on this post-apocalyptic wasteland?

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Review: 'Rio' Only Occasionally Takes Flight

By Drew Taylor
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April 15, 2011 3:07 AM
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1 Comment

In "Rio," it's easy to get lost in the colorful characters and propulsive (not to mention rigidly straightforward) plot. The tale of a dislodged bird named Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) sent to South America to mate with another member of his extremely rare species (played by Anne Hathaway), is full of the kind of visual wonder that does a lot to dazzle, especially if you see it in 3D, where the birds (and other jungle wildlife) zoom out at you and into your lap. But if you pause longer than the movie ever does to think about what is actually going on, then you'll almost certainly become unglued and disinterested. For a movie this amazingly active, it's also quite plodding.

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Review: The 'Little White Lies' That Bind Are Explored In This Leisurely Gallic Dramedy

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 15, 2011 2:31 AM
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1 Comment

The nature of what keeps a long-term friendship together over the years is somewhat ephemeral. There is the trust and confidence that comes with knowing someone intimately, seeing them at their best and worst, and being there for them without judgment. But it's also built on shared values, small moments and significant times shared, building a collective history that binds dates and places with deep emotional resonance. But, everyone also has their secrets, and even the best of friends will often keep their own fears or secret desires to themselves, not only for the sake of a friendship but for their own private reasons as well. Now take all of that and multiply it a few times for a circle of friends, who have know each other for years and are now in their mid-thirties and you enter the world of Guillaume Canet's "Little White Lies," a sprawling dramedy that follows a few weeks in the lives of a close knit group going through some monumental changes.

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Review: 'Armadillo' Is A Stark Portrait Of War That Asks Tough Questions

By Christopher Bell
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April 15, 2011 1:33 AM
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1 Comment

You're not alone if, when discovering the release of a new war documentary, you let out a tired groan or mechanically turn away. These things have been coming out in droves for nearly a decade now, and truth be told, they're often similar in nature or intent and not always helmed by the swiftest of thinkers. That said, is it morally justified to ignore a contemporary subject because of over-saturation? As a society we can easily forget certain issues or events no matter how horrifying or terrible as they drift out of vogue (though we're not wholly responsible -- the media's focus is out of our hands), so how bad is it if we are consistently reminded of horrific pasts and presents?

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