The Playlist

Discuss: After 'The Hunger Games' & 'The Dark Knight Rises,' Does Less Mean More When It Comes To Movie Marketing?

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 3, 2012 10:56 AM
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8 Comments

Features

The creator of "Lost" might have a horse in this fight (he's the co-writer of Ridley Scott's "Prometheus"), but he also has a point. In the last few months, marketing of major blockbusters seems to fall into two separate categories: keeping your cards close to the chest (the J.J. Abrams mystery box approach), or the show-absolutely-everything technique, bombarding fans with character posters, different trailers and enough clips and stills that you could essentially reconstruct the movie, with a basic understanding of narrative structure and a copy of iMovie.

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Weekend Box Office: Boy Wizard Trumps Batman As 'Deathly Hallows Pt. 2' Has All-Time Biggest Opening

By Gabe Toro
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July 17, 2011 5:19 AM
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8 Comments

And so we have box office history.

Watch: Deleted Musical "Love Is The Drug" Scene From 'Sucker Punch' & Cut 7-11 Clip From 'Super 8'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 28, 2011 7:51 AM
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2 Comments

A couple of deleted scenes for you that should satisfy curious film fans looking for a little more from two movies that hit multiplexes earlier this year.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Cars 2' Continues Pixar Formula, 'Green Lantern' Plummets

By Gabe Toro
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June 26, 2011 5:27 AM
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8 Comments

The numbers on “Cars 2” don’t actually matter, except for the stat-hounds regularly following the weekly box office noise (us!). “Cars 2” exists to facilitate Disney’s biggest merchandising cash cow, a multi-billion (annually!) property that needs no further justification. As Pixar seems like a studio that hopes to branch out into more ambitious directions (in theory), they will need something to keep the lights on when, and if, they should fail. Even if the reviews continue to be the worst ever received by a Pixar film, the “Cars” franchise will live on.

The Best Films Of 2011...So Far

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 21, 2011 4:05 AM
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54 Comments

Well, today is the first day of summer, more or less the midpoint of the year, and looking back over the the first six months of 2011, it’s definitely been a bit more of a scattershot movie year compared to the arthouse heavy start of 2010. We'll be honest, compiling this list wasn't exactly easy, the year has been uneven so far, but that said, it's certainly not without highlights: Terrence Malick finally delivered his long awaited film, Woody Allen flexed some of the old magic we love him for, and Michael Winterbottom found life and heart from a familiar comic pairing, while Joe Wright moved completely in a new, exciting direction. Over at the multiplex, big summer entertainment has already made that overpriced, greasy bag of popcorn worth the price with J.J. Abrams proving that genre thrills don't have to be empty, while one of the year’s best efforts unfolded beautifully on the small screen.

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Weekend Box-Office: Is 'Green Lantern' The End Of The Superhero Gravy Train?

By Gabe Toro
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June 19, 2011 5:34 AM
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14 Comments

Perspective is necessary. $53 million is a whole lotta money. $53 million could buy several houses, it could feed many people, it could save lives. $53 million is also a pretty good opening for a somewhat higher-budgeted film, provided advertising isn’t through the roof and there aren’t a massive amount of back-end benefactors involved. But for “Green Lantern,” which cost upwards of $200 million before a massive ad campaign even by superhero standards, this is not a strong opening.

Guess Which Semi-Famous Actor Did The Monster Motion-Capture In 'Super 8'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 14, 2011 4:51 AM
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3 Comments

Since there are some folks who are big crybabies about "spoilers" -- and this isn't one really -- please note, we didn't put an image of the actor in question and hell, we won't even add a tag. Happy? Ok, moving on.

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Weekend Box Office: 'Super 8' Is A Super Performer For Paramount, 'Judy Moody' Has A Bummer Summer

By Gabe Toro
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June 12, 2011 6:53 AM
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10 Comments

Call this one a victory for Paramount, and a big one at that. “Super 8,” which opened to $37 million, was advertised with only the slightest of peekaboos, an ad campaign that played less coy and more stubbornly mysterious. While the film was pitched on the name of Steven Spielberg, the filmmaker has his name on a lot of projects annually, and the wealth of offerings has become so consistent that it no longer tilts the needle.

Interview: 'Super 8' Star Joel Courtney Was Just Looking For A Commercial Gig And $100

By Leah Zak
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June 11, 2011 6:00 AM
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12 Comments

Instead The Newcomer Landed the Lead Role In An Abrams/Spielberg Summer BlockbusterOf the varied critical reactions to "Super 8," everyone does seem to concur on one thing: that the film's young leads give some strong performances. But, with the exception of Elle Fanning -- who at the age of just 13 has already built herself a solid resume -- most of the group are new faces, most notably "Super 8"’s lead, Joel Courtney.

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In Theaters: 'Super 8,' 'Trollhunter,' 'The Trip'

By Katie Walsh
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June 10, 2011 6:10 AM
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5 Comments

Greetings, loyal readers. How is your summer 2011 going? Hot and humid enough for ya? Seek solace this weekend in the icy cold climes of your local multiplex, or even your arthouse, they too have air conditioning! This weekend make it a double feature with a little taste for everyone's palate. Blockbusters and art cinema go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Which one is the peanut butter and which one is the chocolate? I don't know! Leave your theories in the comments. For those of you who like your summer movies big and meaty, we've got the lens flare fest, excuse me, I mean nostalgic Spielbergian homage "Super 8" from JJ Abrams. If you like your movies more microbudgeted and wry, try the Steve Coogan road trip flick "The Trip." Maybe you want to catch up with the latest Woody Allen romp, "Midnight in Paris" as it continues its roll out. At any rate, this weekend is a good one for original content. Not a sequel in sight. Yay! Join me now, on this fantastical journey.

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