Like many DIY movements before it, Mumblecore opened up a lot of filmmakers to permission and possibilities—giving them the galvanizing necessary push to say to themselves, “Hey, I can do that!” Thank god, English filmmaker Andrew Haigh listened to that voice in his head (to be fair, he was already working in the industry, but you get the point). The filmmaker’s auspicious career started in the lo-fi DIY world (2009’s “Greek Pete”), and by his sophomore effort, the 48-hour romance interlude film “Weekend”—a strikingly authentic look at a gay male hookup which turns into something more— which caught fire at SXSW in 2011, the writer/director’s career was cemented.

Continue reading The Movies That Changed My Life: ’45 Years’ Filmmaker Andrew Haigh at The Playlist.

Look, making a Best of Decade list is an impossibility. As the 2010s come to a close, we’ve been agonizing over this (long-delayed) list for half a year now and even had to take a break and put it away this summer when things got too contentious and overwhelming. And then there’s the notion of resonance and what really lasts and is released too late (Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” is phenomenal, for example, but it’s not even released yet, and it’s just going to have to sit this one out).

Continue reading The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

We know that the last you thing you want to hear about during the expensive, wallet-wearying days of the holiday season is what’s coming next from The Criterion Collection. And yet, the boutique label has unveiled a March lineup that may make you want to save a few dollars for yourself this month.

Leading the way is Andrew Haigh‘s terrific “45 Years.” The lovely, low key drama isn’t one that lends itself to bunch of extra features, and as such, there’s not much beyond a commentary track, and a new documentary about the movie.

Continue reading The Criterion Collection’s March Lineup Includes ’45 Years,’ ‘Blow Up,’ And More at The Playlist.

For what it’s worth, I subscribe to the Guillermo del Toro school of my relationship to film (see below). I prefer “favorites” over “best” for year-end lists and that includes warts and all blemishes that make movies feel real and human to me. I also can’t really speak to the subjectivity of “best” per se because opinions are like assholes and everyone’s got one, but I know what moved and stayed with me.

Continue reading Rodrigo Perez’s Top 20 Films Of 2015 at The Playlist.

You hear “cinema is dead” constantly. You also hear that movies are exclusively focused on superheroes and teen dystopias, and anyone wanting anything else has turned to the “golden age of television.” To which we say: bullshit.

It’s not that there aren’t problems with cinema right now, but anyone who says that there aren’t enough good movies didn’t see enough movies or was seeing the wrong ones. From the multiplex to the arthouse, from hugely expensive blockbusters to micro-budget indies shot with tools you probably have in your pocket, there’s an enormous breadth and depth of great film in 2015.

Continue reading The 20 Best Films Of 2015 at The Playlist.

15 Films To See In December

Continue reading 15 Films To See In December at The Playlist.