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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
William Friedkin's Restored 'Sorcerer' Getting A Re-Release, Aiming For The Venice Film Festival
- By Kevin Jagernauth
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- March 21, 2013 6:01 PM
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- 11 Comments
As William Friedkin spent most of last year on the promo circuit for his deliciously raw "Killer Joe," one frequent question he fielded was about the fate of his 1997 flick "Sorcerer." The film has been in mired in some complex legal stuff, but as Friedkin himself told us last year: " I sued Universal and Paramount to determine who owns the rights because they claimed both studios through their legal affairs department claimed they didn't own the rights and I don't know what's happened, I think it has fallen between the cracks. So I'm suing these guys to save the afterlife of the film." And it looks like the tactic worked (though he dropped the suit). Last month, he promised the film would be getting a digital transfer, and now a full blown release is on the way.
Kim Ki-Duk's 'Pieta' Wins Golden Lion At Venice, 'The Master' Wins Best Actor & Director Awards
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 8, 2012 1:51 PM
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- 5 Comments
Update: Well, now it's a little clearer what Mann was talking about -- according to The Hollywood Reporter's sources, the jury wanted to give "The Master" the Golden Lion as well, but were told that they couldn't give one film more than two major awards. After some deliberation, it was decided to give "Pieta" the top prize, and "The Master" the two others. It all sounds like a bit of a clusterfuck, frankly, but it's not going to hurt the film's Oscar chances one bit...
Venice Wrap: Our 5 Favorite Films Of The Festival, Plus Our Complete Coverage
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 7, 2012 4:10 PM
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- 5 Comments
The Venice Film Festival is done for another year. Actually, that's far from true: the festival doesn't wrap up til tomorrow, when top gong Golden Lion, and other prizes, will be awarded. And since we departed on Wednesday, a few more high-profile films have been unveiled, including Brillante Mendoza's "Thy Womb" (word on which is fairly middling), Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep" (which we hear is the actor/director's best since "Quiz Show," and Brian DePalma's "Passion" (thanks to Jamie Dunn for reviewing that for us on the Lido).
Venice Review: 'Passion' Has Flashes Of Classic Brian De Palma, But Often Feels Lackluster
- By Jamie Dunn
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- September 7, 2012 2:40 PM
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- 15 Comments
Like the waves that lap the beach by the Palazzo del Cinema in Venice, Brian De Palma is reassuringly steadfast. Over the years his Movie Brat brethren Scorsese and Spielberg have adapted their respective styles to align with evolving audience tastes and advancing technology, embracing 3D and motion capture with their most recent works. Meanwhile, Terrence Malick, the other New Hollywood veteran competing for this year’s Golden Lion, experiments in increasingly radical filmmaking syntax with each passing movie. But De Palma is dogged: he continues to explore themes and techniques that have obsessed him since his ‘70s/’80s salad days of “Carrie” and “Body Double."
Oscars: Which Contenders Got Heat Coming Out Of Venice And Telluride?
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 6, 2012 11:58 AM
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- 14 Comments
As we write this, we're somewhere over the Alps, flying back to London after an exhausting, rewarding week at the Venice Film Festival. Meanwhile, our editor-in-chief just returned from the mountains after an equally busy weekend at the Telluride Film Festival. Festival season is only just getting underway, with TIFF kicking off as we speak, and Venice doesn't wrap up til Saturday. But even so, it's true that the first salvo of the awards race have been fired in both Italy and Colorado, so it seems like a good time to run down which films have found themselves in a promising position after the last ten days or so, and which fizzled as soon as they arrived.
Venice Review: 'Dormant Beauty' Is Tender & Humane, But Adds Little To The Right To Die Debate
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 5, 2012 8:29 AM
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- 1 Comment
The sanctity of life is one of the thorniest subjects of the 20th century, and seems certain to continue to be so for decades to come. One only has to look over the continuing debate in terms of contraception and abortion, among the most divisive and emotional issues in American politics (or, indeed, in politics around the world), to see that. And just as the question of when life begins is much-argued-over, the question of when it should be ended, and what constitutes the difference between life and death, is just as controversial.
Venice Review: Harmony Korine's 'Spring Breakers' Is A Semi-Conventional Genre Flick & Future Cult Favorite
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 4, 2012 4:58 PM
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- 12 Comments
This will make you feel old: it has been 18 years since Harmony Korine wrote “Kids” at the age of 21, with the Larry Clark directed film proving to be something of a firecracker in the midst of mid-90s indie cinema, by turns controversial, seedy, and honest. Korine made his own directorial debut with 1998’s “Gummo,” and over the last 15 or so years has made films that (with the possible exception of “Mister Lonely”), push aesthetic & critical boundaries further and further, culminating in 2009’s “Trash Humpers,” a film shot on a VHS camcorder, featuring a cast in old-people masks generally trying to provoke the audience into walking out. So where could he possibly go from there?
Venice Review: Kim Ki-Duk's 'Pieta' Is A Bruising Mother-Son Relationship Drama That Ultimately Disappoints
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 4, 2012 3:45 PM
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- 1 Comment
With only a few days left of the Venice Film Festival, no clear front-runner has emerged to pick up the Golden Lion. “The Master” is probably the best-received film to date, but festival juries often shy away from the most obvious pick. “To The Wonder,” “At Any Price” and “Fill The Void” all have their fans, but all received raucous booing at critics screenings. The best movies have premiered out of competition, and many films seem like non-starters. But the best reaction we’ve heard to date across our week on the Lido came last night from abrasive, confrontational Korean director Kim Ki-Duk's “Pieta.”
Venice Review: 'A Hijacking' Is A Detailed, Gripping & Powerful High-Seas Hostage Tale
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 4, 2012 2:18 PM
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- 8 Comments
As exciting as it can be to be one of the audience at the first public screening of an eagerly anticipated film – the new Paul Thomas Anderson or Terrence Malick, the new Rian Johnson or David O. Russell – perhaps the purest pleasure that can be found at a film festival is that of discovery. Picking something semi-randomly from the program, something with no A-listers, and no internationally renowned filmmaker at the helm, and walking out a couple of hours later feeling that you’ve uncovered a gem, and been one oft the first to find a director who could be a major talent to watch.
Venice Review: 'Linhas De Wellington' Is A Handsome But Middling Tribute To The Late Raúl Ruiz
- By Oliver Lyttelton
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- September 4, 2012 1:37 PM
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- 3 Comments
If you had to pick the final film to be completed after a forty-year career of over one hundred films, you’d certainly hope for one as masterful as “Mysteries Of Lisbon,” the four-hour 2010 epic that proved to be the last completed directorial effort from Chilean-born, French-settled filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. An internationally acclaimed Portugese-language costume drama, it’s one of the richest films of the last few years, and one that certainly served as a fitting crowning accomplishment.
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