Ask any horror fan worth their salt about underrated classics of the 1960s, and one film that’s sure to come up is “Witchfinder General.” Co-produced by Roger Corman’s American Independent Pictures, the 1968 film, based on Ronald Bassett’s novel of the same name, tells the queasy and brutal story story of real-life lawyer Matthew Hopkins (played by, in his best performance, Vincent Price), who claimed to have been appointed to the titular role during the English Civil War in the 17th century.

Continue reading John Hillcoat & Nicolas Winding Refn Team For ‘Witchfinder General’ Remake at The Playlist.

You might not have noticed, given that the character has featured in three other DC movies (plus three Lego animated films) and multiple TV shows (plus several others on the way in the next year or two), but we haven’t actually had a solo, non-Lego Batman movie since Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” seven years ago. But that’s going to change before long: Matt Reeves has been quietly beavering away on a rebooted version of the superhero franchise and it’s getting closer, with Thursday’s news that Robert Pattinson is in final talks to take on the Caped Crusader’s role.

Continue reading Batman Returns Returns? The Penguin & Catwoman Rumored To Face Robert Pattinson’s Batman at The Playlist.

It’s probably a stretch to call any of the Romanian New Wave filmmakers household names, exactly, but for over a decade now they’ve been making some of the most interesting cinema of anywhere in the world. And while the films of Corneliu Poromboiu haven’t quite yet picked up the prizes and plaudits of compatriots like Cristian Mungiu (whose “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” took the Palme D’Or) or Cristi Puiu (whose “The Death Of Mr.

Continue reading Learn A New Language With An Exclusive Clip From Corneliu Poromboiu’s Cannes Noir Comedy ‘The Whistlers’ at The Playlist.

There’s plenty — arguably too many — massive movie events coming this year, from Tarantino taking on classic Hollywood to the end of the Skywalker saga. But the biggest of them all is likely to be “Avengers: Endgame,” the climax of the 22-movie Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. ‘Climax’ obviously suggests that they’ll be no others after this – these films will, at this point, continue to be made as long as there’s human life on earth.

Continue reading Heroes Unite One Last Time In The Final Trailer For ‘Avengers: Endgame’ at The Playlist.

It was the best of Oscars, it was the worst of Oscars. It was the age of wisdom (Spike Lee, Olivia Colman), it was the age of foolishness (“Green Book“), it was the epoch of belief (Regina King), it was the epoch of incredulity (Sound and Editing awards), it was the season of Light (“Roma“), it was the season of Darkness (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), it was the spring of hope (10 nominations for “The Favourite“!), it was the winter of despair (9 losses for “The Favourite”!), we had everything before us (a whole 3 hours and 15 minutes), we had nothing before us (only 3 hours and 15 minutes!), we were all going direct to Heaven (“I’d like to thank God and my manager!”), we were all going direct the other way (Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me) – in short, the period was so far like the present period (the stage DID look like Trump’s hair) that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Continue reading The Best & Worst Of The 2019 Oscars at The Playlist.

Just when you thought Peak TV couldn’t get Peakier (a record 495 scripted shows aired in 2018 – read about our favorites of the year here), things are going to get even crazier in 2019. Netflix will continue to pump out multiple shows a week, Amazon is entering a new phase with the remit “bring us the next ‘Game Of Thrones,’” some old favorites are returning after a year — or several years — off, every major network has at least one potential titan debuting, and tech behemoth Apple is finally getting into the scripted game after years of planning and teasing.

Continue reading The 50 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2019 at The Playlist.

After what feels like a year made up of roughly 5 million weeks (fun fact: the film “Black Panther” was released in 2018! It’s true!), December has rolled around and the light at the end of the 2018 tunnel is in sight. And around these parts, that means that it’s time to roll out the annual smorgasbord of year-end features, looking at the best, and sometimes worst, of the year in film and TV.

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019 at The Playlist.

Zhang Yimou isn’t the first acclaimed international filmmaker to have come a cropper by working within the Hollywood studio system, but, even still, “The Great Wall” hurt more than most. Yimou is the winner of top prizes at all three major European international festivals, and a rare Chinese director to have had big commercial successes in the U.S. with “Hero” and “House Of Flying Daggers,”and his Matt Damon-starring fantasy actioner was intended to unite the best of blockbusters from both east and west.

Continue reading ‘Shadow’ Is A Beautiful And Thrilling Return To Form For Filmmaker Zhang Yimou [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

lIt’s easy to feel by the middle of September that awards season is locked up – the vast majority of contenders revealed, and the winner a good bet (it’s a decade since a movie that skipped the fall festival circuit won Best Picture). Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule,” for instance, which got a late-breaking fall release date in the hope of upending the races.

Another surprise potential to have emerged in the last few months is “Stan & Ollie,” a biopic of comedy legends Laurel & Hardy from Oscar-nominated “Philomena” writer Jeff Pope, and “Filth” director Jon S.

Continue reading ‘Stan & Ollie’: John C. Reilly & Steve Coogan Are Excellent As The Comedy Legends [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

We don’t usually review movies twice at The Playlist. But then again, a director doesn’t usually cut a substantial chunk of his film after reactions from a festival premiere suggested it was too long, and debut the new version barely six weeks after the initial premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. So props to David Mackenzie for clearly taking the response to “Outlaw King” seriously — not least because the film is backed by Netflix, who, given the latitude they usually give their filmmakers, clearly would have had no problem with releasing whatever version Mackenzie preferred.

Continue reading David Mackenzie’s Re-Edited ‘Outlaw King’ Trims The Fat & Is A Rousing, Satisfying Adventure [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

S. Craig Zahler is undoubtedly one of the most interesting directors to emerge in genre film in the last few years. Initially turning heads as a screenwriter (his “The Brigands Of Rattleborge” topped one of the first Black Lists and attracted filmmakers like Park Chan-Wook, though ultimately never quite made it to screen), he finally broke through thanks to his horror-western directorial debut “Bone Tomahawk” three years ago.

Continue reading Mel Gibson Is A Very Bad Cop In S. Craig Zahler’s Provocative & Troubling ‘Dragged Across Concrete’ [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

It’s been a funny old decade and a half for Peter Jackson. After the critical, commercial, and awards triumphs of the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy — a blockbuster the lasting impact of which is as big as anything since “Star Wars” — he had the world at his feet. But, perhaps inevitably, given how entirely massive his initial Middle-Earth films were, his follow-ups since have struggled to get the same amount of love.

Continue reading Peter Jackson’s Stunning Documentary ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ Brings World War I Into 3D [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

For an industry that worships youth, it’s perhaps surprising that one of Hollywood’s most sought after writers is one now nearly in his 90s, whose work has been making it to the screen for half a century. But the last ten years or so have seen John Le Carré’s spy novels become more popular than ever for film and TV adaptation. Beginning with the acclaimed versions of “The Constant Gardener” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” we’ve seen Le Carré’s work reach screens at an impressive rate, taking in Anton Corbijn’s “A Most Wanted Man,” Susannah White’s “Our Kind Of Traitor,” and the hit miniseries “The Night Manager,” soon to get a second season.

Continue reading Park Chan-Wook’s ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ Is Some Of The Best TV Of The Year [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

Is there anything that Michaela Coel can’t do at this point? The writer and actress came to people’s attention a few years back when her stage show “Chewing Gum” became a British comedy series, picking her up a BAFTA and fans in the U.S thanks to a growing cult following on Netflix. Since then, Coel’s continued to impress as she’s moved into more dramatic territory — first with a couple of roles in “Black Mirror,” then more recently in Hugo Blick’s excellent BBC miniseries “Black Earth Rising” alongside John Goodman (which will also head to Netflix globally in the new year).

Continue reading Michaela Coel Shines In Likeable Netflix Musical ‘Been So Long’ [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

Practically every director, at some point, matures a little and decides to spread their wings a bit. Steven Spielberg diversified from blockbusters to Oscar-friendly prestige pictures. Every so often, Martin Scorsese takes a break from the crime fare that made his name to make a quiet period drama like “The Age Of Innocence,” “Kundun” or “Silence.” Wes Craven made “Music Of The Heart.

Continue reading Ben Wheatley’s ‘Happy New Year, Colin Burstead,’ Is A Bruising, Brilliant Family Drama [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

It’s easy to think of Taika Waititi as an overnight success. It’s barely three years since the one-two punch of “What We Do In The Shadows” and “Hunt For The Wilderpeople” made him one of the hottest directors around, landed him a Marvel movie that helped him to reinvent one of the more difficult characters around in “Thor: Ragnarok,” and led to jobs involving “Star Wars,” Hitler and Michael Jackson’s monkey.

Continue reading Taika Waititi-Produced ‘The Breaker Upperers’ Is Your New Favorite Comedy [LFF Review] at The Playlist.

When Danny Boyle unexpectedly left the job of directing the 25th James Bond adventure last month over creative differences, it left the producers in a bit of a pickle. Boyle was a coup for the franchise — the second Oscar-winner to take on a 007 joint, and his take, with long-time writer John Hodge, was said to be a very particular pitch that had caused Eon to abandon a previous iteration that had directors like David Mackenzie, Denis Villeneuve and Yann Demange circling.

Continue reading ‘True Detective’ Helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga Replaces Danny Boyle On ‘Bond 25’ at The Playlist.

After Cannes surprised many with a selection of newer or less familiar names over the A-list auteurs that often make up the line-up, it’s been keenly anticipated by festival watchers that Venice was due for a big one. The early-fall festival, which has traditionally been a kick-off to awards season, has gained serious cred in recent years by premiering awards heavyweights like “Gravity,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “La La Land” and “The Shape Of Water,” but even aside from that it’s long been one of our highlights of the calendar, with a line-up that often proves more interesting and satisfying than that of the Croisette.

Continue reading Coens, Cuaron, Lanthimos, Orson Welles Lead Insane 2018 Venice Film Festival Line-Up at The Playlist.

Back in 2012, the indie-film hub that is the Sundance Film Festival ventured outside the U.S. for the first time with Sundance London, a U.K-based offshoot that took some prime selections from the main festival and gave them their international debuts. The festival’s been going from strength to strength (while 2016 also saw the inaugural Sundance Hong Kong join the line-up) ever since, and the 2018 edition, which announced its roster late last week, is no exception.

Continue reading ‘Hereditary,’ ‘Eighth Grade’ & ‘The Tale’ Lead 2018 Sundance London Line-Up at The Playlist.

Click here for more from our Oscars 2018 coverage, including the Best & Worst of the ceremony, all the speeches, and the Snubs & Surprises.

It was inevitable that this year’s Oscar ceremony would be one driven by The Issues. After all, it came after of a tumultuous few years, begun by the #OscarsSoWhite controversy (which led to an attempt to diversify the Academy membership), continued with the victory of “Moonlight” last year in the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump, and mostly recently in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein revelations, those that followed after, the subsequent #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, and increasing talk about mainstream representation of minority filmmakers following the success of “Wonder Woman” and “Black Panther,” among others.

Continue reading Why Frances McDormand & The Inclusion Rider Was The Biggest Moment Of The 2018 Oscars at The Playlist.

Another year, another Academy Awards ceremony down, and it was one with plenty to be happy about: long-overdue recognition for tremendous actors like Sam Rockwell and Allison Janney, much-deserved writing prizes for Jordan Peele and James Ivory, a double victory for the beloved Guillermo Del Toro.

READ MORE: ‘The Shape of Water’ Wins Best Picture & Director: The Full List Of Oscar Winners Here

That said, while it was a solid ceremony (as we covered in our Best & Worst Of The 2018 Oscar Ceremony), it perhaps wasn’t the biggest shocker — even an awards idiot like this writer who hasn’t been paying that much attention only missed a few times on his ballot.

Continue reading The Snubs & Surprises Of The 2018 Oscars at The Playlist.

There are always a number of things to love about Oscar nomination morning. A chance to cheer when great movies like “The Shape Of Water” receive a brace of nominations, a chance to curse the heavens with cathartic rage when a favorite is excluded (*shakes fist at sky* “The Florida Project”!!), a chance to celebrate boundaries being broken by filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele and Dee Rees, and a chance to beam on behalf of great actors like Daniel Kaluuya, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney and Laurie Metcalf when they receive overdue recognition.

Continue reading 2018 Oscar Nominations By The Numbers at The Playlist.

Now it’s time for TV. Back at the start of December, we ran down the 100 films that we’re most looking forward to across 2018, and we picked out some festival favorites that we’ve already seen and know are worth checking out too. But even with 250 hours worth or so of promising art and entertainment, that barely scratches the surface of what people will be talking about in terms of moving images, because, well, we don’t know if you heard, but TV’s gotten really good.

Continue reading The Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2018 at The Playlist.

You don’t need great performances for a great movie, we suppose — Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s mesmerizing 2016 documentary/art piece “Homo Sapiens,” for instance, doesn’t feature a single human being on screen and is still excellent. But on the whole, the two things go hand in hand: it’s impossible to imagine “Lawrence Of Arabia” without Peter O’Toole, “Star Wars” without Harrison Ford, “Cabaret” without Liza Minnelli, or “Tokyo Story” without Chishu Ryu and Chieko Higashiyama, to name but a few.

Continue reading The Best Performances Of 2017 at The Playlist.

Best of this; top 20 that; breakthrough the other. At some point in our ever-comprehensive year-end coverage, especially after a pretty great movie year like this one, we simply get sick and tired of scanning our thesauruses for synonyms for “awesome.” And when that happens, we like to aggregate a list of splat-rated films, bloated follies and our own personal loathe objects, and hate-watch the shit out of them in preparation for this feature, which serves as the Kylo Ren to our Best of 2017’s Jyn Erso, or maybe the poop emoji to the rest of our coverage’s thumbs-up smiley face.

Continue reading The Worst Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.