The Playlist

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

Interviews

In Theaters: '80s Night At The Multiplex With 'Footloose' & 'The Thing'

By Katie Walsh
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October 14, 2011 7:34 AM
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1 Comment

Kick off your Sunday shoes, dear readers, this weekend it's time to cut loose with "Footloose." And what's that? It's a remake-tastic weekend with "The Thing" also in theaters, if you enjoy your '80s nostalgia with body inhabiting aliens instead of nubile dancing teens. Also, Señor Almodóvar's latest, "The Skin I Live In," and the funnymen trio of Martin, Wilson and Black in "The Big Year."

By The Playlist
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October 10, 2011 4:15 AM
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2 Comments

Exhibiting immense technique, incredibly moody, tense atmospheres and meticulously crafted aesthetics, the dark crime thriller, “Texas Killing Fields,” demonstrates that director Ami Canaan Mann has inherited some serious skills from her famous filmmaking father Michael Mann.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 2, 2011 1:18 AM
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2 Comments

So, what is Ami Canaan Mann's "Texas Killing Fields"? A rountine cops 'n killers flick or is it something for more disturbing, atmospheric and moody? We have to admit, the first trailer for the film didn't exactly leave us with much optimism, however, this latest look does make a small case for its inclusion in the competition lineup at the Venice Film Festival.

By Simon Dang
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August 30, 2011 2:00 AM
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2 Comments

One of the more intriguing pictures on the upcoming fall festival calendar is "Texas Killing Fields," which will premiere at the Venice Film Festival which kicks off tomorrow. Featuring a strong cast including action staples Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and rising stars Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain (co-stars in John Hillcoat's upcoming 'Wettest County') and Chloe Moretz, the story revolves around the true story of a series if unsolved murders in League City, Texas, where 21 women were killed or have disappeared since 1971. We've been lukewarm on what we've seen so far, but surely there is more to the film than its cast and the surname of its director, Ami Canaan Mann?

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 18, 2011 4:51 AM
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8 Comments

We initially didn't have very high expectations for "Texas Killing Fields," but when the film landed an in competition slot at the Venice Film Festival our interest was piqued. Perhaps there was more than meets the eye to what seemed a pretty rote crime thriller. Well, our initial instincts seem to be spot on.

By Kevin Jagernauth
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August 11, 2011 4:55 AM
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0 Comments

Venice is just a few weeks away and while the number of high-profile films is pretty staggering already, one project many will be keen to check out is Ami Canaan Mann's "Texas Killing Fields." Yes, she shares the surname as Michael Mann and with good reason -- she's his daughter. Whether or not that filmmaking talent is genetic we'll soon find out, but if you can't make it to Venice, the film isn't that far off.

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 2, 2011 1:01 AM
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1 Comment

The most surprising pick in the line-up of the Venice Film Festival was undoubtedly "Texas Killing Fields." The latest attempt from "Avatar" star Sam Worthington to return to non-tentpole territory, following the tepidly received "Last Night" and the long-delayed "The Debt," is a based-in-fact thriller revolving around a series of unsolved murders in League City, Texas, where 21 women were killed or disappeared since 1971, and marks the big-screen coming out party of Ami Canaan Mann, daughter of "Heat" director Michael Mann, who makes her directorial debut with the film.