When it comes to young adult literature, there are few books as universally beloved and influential for preteen girls as “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Judy Blume’s seminal 1970 novel. Tackling everything from boys to periods to religion, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” was a groundbreaking exploration of so-called taboo topics that plague all young girls. In fact, it’s so ubiquitous with female adolescence that it’s surprising no one’s adapted Blume’s book sooner.

Continue reading ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ Review: Kelly Fremon Craig’s Adaptation Pays Due Diligence To Judy Blume’s Cherished Novel at The Playlist.

To say that the DC franchise as a whole has had a troubled history translating its characters to the big screen would be an understatement. Though DC characters in live-action and animation have certainly had their gems in the realms of film and tv, the most recent crop of live-action DC movies have been divisive money-makers, prompting a disjointed and generally disappointing answer to Marvel’s competing MCU. Somehow, in the midst of all the live-action chaos, DC’s strongest, most consistently well-review series slips by, vastly unnoticed, and it’s returned for a third – no less raunchy and no less outstanding – season: DC’s “Harley Quinn.”

Starring “The Big Bang Theory” ex-pat Kaley Cuoco (the titular Harley Quinn) and Lake Bell (as Harley’s will-they-won’t-they best friend/girlfriend Poison Ivy), the series follows the outlandish, borderline psychotic ex-psychiatrist as she struggles to make a name for herself as an independent supervillain after a split from the joker and a stint in Arkham.

Continue reading ‘Harley Quinn’ Season 3 Review Continues To Transcend The Conventions Of The Animated Superhero Series at The Playlist.

Fresh off of its original seven-episode British run on BBC One, Adam Kay’s black comedy-drama “This is Going to Hurt” arrives on AMC this week, ready to give American audiences a taste of its wicked wit. Based on his nonfiction comedy novel of the same name, ‘Hurt’ brings a unique perspective to the UK medical scene circa 2006, providing a hearty dose of sociopolitical commentary in between bone-dry humor and painfully relatable interpersonal drama.

Continue reading ‘This Is Going To Hurt’ Review: Ben Whishaw Leads A Sharp & Darkly Comic Look At England’s Health Care System at The Playlist.

When a mild-mannered English tailor living in Chicago finds himself embroiled in the politics of the city’s most fearsome gangsters, a quiet evening turns into a bid to escape with his life in Focus Features’ “The Outfit,” which arrives in theaters on March 18. Though ‘The Outfit’’s chamber drama setting and relative lack of plot developments make for a rather thrill-less crime thriller, the film’s clever script and a captivating lead performance from Mark Rylance make the tidy mob film a fresh, stylish take on a well-worn genre.

Continue reading ‘The Outfit’ Review: Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien & Zoey Deutch Put A Stylish Twist On The Mob Drama at The Playlist.

One part psychological thriller, one part murder-mystery, and one part Lifetime movie, the BBC’s latest David Oyelowo-led series, “The Girl Before” is streaming on BBC One and HBO Max now. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, the series (created, written, and executive produced by author JP Delaney) follows two women’s stories three years apart as they move into the same minimalist dream home, created by eccentric architect Edward (Oyelowo). 

Continue reading ‘The Girl Before’ Review: Plot Twists Replace Believable Characters In This Aimless Thriller at The Playlist.

An unlikely rom-com duo if ever there was one, this Valentine’s Day, Charlie Day and Jenny Slate team up in an attempt to win back their respective exes in Amazon Prime Video’s I Want You Back. Directed by Jason Orley, the film follows Peter (Day) and Emma (Slate), two happily taken strangers who find themselves unceremoniously dumped on the same weekend. After a chance meeting at their shared office building, the heartbroken singles hatch a plan: Emma will seduce Peter’s ex-girlfriend (Gina Rodriguez)’s new boyfriend (Manny Jacinto).

Continue reading ‘I Want You Back’ Review: Charlie Day & Jenny Slate Lack Chemistry In An Unfocused RomCom at The Playlist.

Though tried and true romantic comedies area dying breed, Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson make a bid to revive the genre (with a musical twist) in Kat Coiro’s “Marry Me,” which hits theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. Based on Bobby Crosby’s graphic novel of the same name, “Marry Me” follows global music superstar, Kat Valdez (Lopez), who plans to marry her equally famous fiance, Bastian (Colombian singer-songwriter Maluma), in a combination concert/wedding set to be streamed for millions across the globe. 

Continue reading ‘Marry Me’ Review: Owen Wilson & Jennifer Lopez Have No Chemistry In This Half-Baked Rom-Com at The Playlist.

After striking gold with period drama “Bridgerton” in a $100+ million deal with Netflix, Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland has debuted its latest bid for streaming success: “Inventing Anna.” Based on the too–good–to–be–true story, “Inventing Anna” draws inspiration from the work of journalist Jessica Pressler, whose article “Maybe She Had So Much Money She Just Lost Track of It” chronicled the exploits of Anna Delvey, a young Russian woman who successfully posed as a German heiress, conning New York’s elite out of thousands of dollars worth of clothes, shoes, vacations, and private jets.

Continue reading ‘Inventing Anna’ Review: A Compelling True Story About New York City High Life Is Ruined By Poor Writing at The Playlist.

After the runaway success of the first series, Netflix’s “The Witcher” — a television adaption of the beloved Polish video game series and novels of the same name—returns for the second installment in the saga of Geralt of Rivia: the standoffish monster-slaying Witcher. Where the first season garnered praise for its brutal fight sequences but struggled to remain cohesive and legible between its several interwoven and anachronistic timelines, “The Witcher” season two takes a much more accessible, straightforward narrative approach: still centering the story around Geralt (Henry Cavill), Ciri (Freya Allan), and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), but emulating the pacing of a story or quest from the video games as opposed to attempting to cram as much lore in as humanly possible.

Continue reading ‘The Witcher’ Review: Free Of Baggy Franchise Lore, Netflix’s Fantasy Series Restructures & Improves In Season 2 at The Playlist.

Providing ample opportunities to showcase the beauties and horrors of the human body, ballet and dance is frequently examined in cinema because of its elaborate artistic and metaphoric potential. Such is the case with Sarah Adina Smith’s “Birds of Paradise,” a sensuous drama filled to the brim with visually distinctive, and grandiose displays of technique and physical rigor. The film follows American ballet students Kate (Diana Silvers) and Marine (Kristine Froseth), both of whom are competing for the top prize in an elite student ballet competition which captures the winner a contract with the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet Company.

Continue reading ‘Birds Of Paradise’ Diane Silvers & Kristine Froseth Bring Icy Brutality To A Milder ‘Black Swan’ Routine [Review] at The Playlist.

When optometrist Pippa (Sydney Sweeney) and musician Thomas (Justice Smith) snag a gorgeous apartment in Montreal, the successful young couple can’t believe their luck, and their excitement quickly turns to curiosity when they discover that their swanky new apartment comes with a full view of their eccentric and attractive across-the-street neighbors (Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ben Hardy). Their curiosity begins to spiral into obsession, though, and the more Pippa finds herself engrossed in the exploits of her mysterious new neighbors, the deeper she entrenches herself into a web of mysteries in writer-director Michael Mohan’s erotic thriller, “The Voyeurs.” 

READ MORE: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

Erotic thrillers are few and far between in our modern cinematic landscape, so “The Voyeurs” feels inherently fresh and original purely when it comes to tone and concept by merit of simply being willing to harken back to an era and style of filmmaking that feels all but forgotten.

Continue reading ‘The Voyeurs’ Is A Sluggish, Predictable Erotic Thriller Barely Worth A Peek [Review] at The Playlist.

What Walter White did for cooking crystal meth, Connie Kaminski hopes to do for couponing—or at least, that’s the premise behind Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly’s “Queenpins,” starring Kristen Bell. Based (loosely) on a true story, the film follows suburban Arizona housewife Connie (Bell) and her best friend Jojo (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), who meet and bond over their love of extreme couponing.

Continue reading ‘Queenpins’: Kristen Bell’s Comedy Is A Shockingly Well-Paced Crime Film With A Thoughtful, Emotional Core [Review] at The Playlist.

As surely as the glass slipper always fits Ella’s foot, it seems we’re destined to be treated to a new take on “Cinderella“ every few years, and the latest incarnation of the Disney classic is an Amazon-distributed jukebox musical starring pop star Camila Cabello. Though “Cinderella” makes a number of attempts to update the original fairy tale through quips, female “empowerment,” and a soundtrack full of familiar tunes, this latest reimagining runs out of magic far before the clock strikes midnight.

Continue reading ‘Cinderella’: New Girlboss Edition Runs Out Of Magic Before Midnight [Review] at The Playlist.

It’s every woman’s worst nightmare: you meet the seemingly perfect guy who has it all figured out, only to find out that his entire life is one big lie. But for stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger, that nightmare was her reality. Based (mostly) on a true story (or rather, a real lie), “Good On Paper” is Netflix’s latest romantic comedy, which stars Schlesinger as Andrea, a thirty-something comedienne struggling to break into the acting game in Hollywood.

Continue reading ‘Good On Paper’: Iliza Shlesinger’s Perfect Boyfriend Is Actually Crap In Fun, But Predictable Rom-Com [Review] at The Playlist.