For the past two decades, superheroes have been the driving force behind pop culture. Movie studios, TV networks, and streaming services are thriving off their viewers’ demand for content based on comic books. Comic book culture is so dominant that even casual viewers can recite the genre’s clichés in their sleep. A threat emerges, a hero(ine) rises to the challenge, overcomes self-doubt, and thwarts the evil-doer. Lather, rinse, repeat.

READ MORE: ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Trailer: Ellen Page & Mary J.

Continue reading ‘The Umbrella Academy’ Cast Discusses Bringing The Superhero Saga To Life [Interview] at The Playlist.

“A Private War” is a true story about war correspondent Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike), who met her tragic end while on an assignment. Director Matthew Heineman does a great job getting to the essence of who Colvin was, following her incredible career as she goes behind enemy lines to uncover atrocities. Although Colvin was right at home in a war-torn city’s streets, she brought the trauma home with her, and Heineman looks to explore the price Colvin paid for being a hero.

Continue reading ‘A Private War’ Is Intense & Harrowing But Is Betrayed By A Campy Rosamund Pike Performance [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

Director Sebastián Lelio’s latest film, “Gloria Bell,” begs the question: Can moviegoers have too much of a good thing? This new picture is a near beat for beat remake of his 2013 critical darling “Gloria” – one of Rotten Tomatoes’s best-reviewed titles of all time. This new movie feels unnecessary. After all, if it ain’t broke? But if there’s one element here to pique viewer’s interest, it’s Lelio’s casting of Julianne Moore as the eponymous heroine.

Continue reading Sebastián Lelio’s ‘Gloria Bell’ Is A Worthy Remake Thanks To The Incredible Julianne Moore [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

“The Wind” begins with a group of Old West settlers rocked by a traumatic event that went down moments before. Their long, grim faces, the film’s chilly color palette, and a dead baby tell viewers everything they need to know about this brutal and unforgiving world. Directed by Emma Tammi, “The Wind” presents a bleak and atmospheric slow-burn horror story with a western flavor. Fans of nerve-racking movies “The Babadook” and “The Witch” are most likely to fall under this picture’s cold spell.

Continue reading ‘The Wind’ Is A Breezy, Scary Slow-Burn Horror Film That Falls Short Of Being Great [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

America is one of the world’s richest and most powerful countries, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at a considerable portion of the population. It’s this hypocrisy that writer-director Peter Farrelly examines in his new feature, “Green Book.” The movie goes back only a few decades in American history to explain why “the land of the free” label has never been entirely true. To make his point, Farrelly enlists two of today’s most talented actors, pairs them with a witty script, and then lets the sparks fly.

Continue reading ‘Green Book’: Mahershala Ali & Viggo Mortensen Road Trip Through The Jim Crow South [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

No matter what subject documentarian Errol Morris chooses to explore, it’s always a big deal. And this is most certainly the case with his new documentary, “American Dharma,” where Morris casts his inquisitive gaze towards controversial former Donald Trump advisor, Stephen K. Bannon. Morris attempts to bridge the partisan divide as he investigates what drives a man like Bannon, one of the alt-right movement’s leaders.

Continue reading Errol Morris’ Controversial Doc ‘American Dharma’ Is The Portrait Of A Delusional, First-Rate A-Hole [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

Does Hollywood chew talented people up and spit them out, or does the entertainment business attract broken people? Writer-director Alex Ross Perry attempts to put his own unique perspective on the age-old question with his latest feature, “Her Smell,” which follows a self-destructive punk rocker whose life is spiraling out of control. Perry combines a knock-out cast with an incisive script for a wild-eyed musical-drama with poignant themes.

READ MORE: 55 Must-See Films: The 2018 Fall Movie Preview

The film kicks off with grainy VHS footage of a giddy all-girl punk band as they celebrate landing a magazine cover.

Continue reading ‘Her Smell’: Elisabeth Moss Shines In Alex Ross Perry Tale Of Punk Rock Excess [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

In 1978, legendary filmmaker John Carpenter used just a few basic components to create one of the all-time great slasher flicks: a psychopath, a chilling score, and a teenage girl. All these years later, fans remain hungry for more stories featuring the cold-blooded killer, Michael Myers. Director David Gordon Green has taken on the challenge of modernizing “Halloween” for audiences today. This new version scrubs away the convoluted “Halloween” mythology from various sequels and carries on after the series’ creative high-point.

Continue reading ‘Halloween’: Rejoice! This Brutal Horror Remake Is Killer [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

In 2015, director László Nemes stunned moviegoers away with his harrowing, Oscar-winning directorial debut, “Son of Saul.” For his follow-up movie, the 41-year-old Hungarian returns with his new feature, “Sunset,” which examines the frayed tensions in Budapest during the lead-up to World War I. And if it’s not broken, don’t fix it: the director revisits the now-signature, immersive point-of-view camerawork style to craft a cryptic drama featuring chilly characters and decadent production design.

Continue reading ‘Sunset’: László Nemes’ Cinematic Tricks Don’t Offer Much Warmth [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

Acclaimed and polarizing documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has inspired and infuriated audiences for thirty years. Moore’s rhetoric, bluster, and employment of facts have been called into question in the past by his critics, but unlike some of his left and right-wing peers, he generally doesn’t speak recklessly. Moore is passionate, but collected and lays his arguments out like an essay writer and then backs them up point by point — with a steady helping of comedic zingers.

Continue reading ‘Fahrenheit 11/9’: Michael Moore Rakes American Democracy Over The Coals [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

Back in 1987, nobody could have anticipated the impact of “Predator” on moviegoers. The ‘80s were a revolving door of ultra-violent hyper-masculine action films (even ones featuring the era’s biggest action star, Arnold Schwarzenegger). But “Predator” rose above most of the pack, and exploded in popularity, fueling spin-off movies, video games, and comic books. Despite many attempts, Hollywood has yet to recapture the magic of the original, instead delivering sequels with mixed, at best, results.

Continue reading ‘The Predator’ Is An Enjoyable Popcorn Flick With The Undeniable Shane Black Flair [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.