The Playlist

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

Interviews

Discuss: With Electro, Rhino & Green Goblin, Is 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' Promising Villain Overkill?

By Gabe Toro
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March 2, 2013 2:10 PM
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16 Comments

News

Since “Batman Begins,” superhero films have upped the ante as far as casting legit names to act out action-packed costumed melodramas for mass audiences. But it’s hard to say we’ve seen anything like the upcoming sequel to “The Amazing Spider-Man,” which last week added Oscar winner Chris Cooper to a cast that includes Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Shailene Woodley and Dane DeHaan as well as fellow Oscar winners Sally Field and Jamie Foxx and former nominee Paul Giamatti. That would be a whole lot of acclaim for a small indie film, but it’s also the sort of prestige unheard of for a mega-blockbuster that was received coolly by critics and diehards.

By Benjamin Wright
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June 11, 2012 11:40 AM
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0 Comments

News

Long before the upcoming “The Amazing Spider-Man” pressed the reset button on the lucrative Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire-era of films about our favorite web slinger, there was talk of a standalone film starring Spidey’s arch nemesis Venom. Having been portrayed by “That ‘70s Show” veteran Topher Grace in the poorly-received (but still financially successful) third entry in the Raimi-helmed series, Venom was a product of the blend of a black symbiote suit that turned Spidey to the dark side along with Peter Parker's rival Eddie Brock.

By Oliver Lyttelton
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March 6, 2012 8:33 PM
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0 Comments

News

After the modest success of the low-budgeted "Chronicle," 27-year-old director Josh Trank seems to have been labeled a superhero guy by Hollywood. Even though the superpowered leads of his surprisingly effective found-footage flick never donned a cape, Trank was picked out by Fox (who bankrolled "Chronicle") as the man they wanted to direct their reboot of the "Fantastic Four" franchise. The young helmer's been non-commital about the project, though, and it seems like another film may have grabbed his attention, albeit one still firmly in the comic book world.