“You can spend a lifetime with someone, as a wife or a mother, but you can never really know who they are.” The mysteries of family and, sometimes, their deep, dark, unexpected secrets are explored in the new Peacock series, “Apples Never Fall.” It’s yet another series adaptation from New York Times bestseller Liane Moriarty, the author of “Big Little Lies,” and “Nine Perfect Strangers,” both series, among many others of hers, that have been adapted into popular prestige television shows.

Continue reading ‘Apples Never Fall’: Watch This “Inside Look” Featurette About Peacock’s New Family Thriller Series at The Playlist.

What’s really behind that perfect marriage? A family is about to confront the reality behind their idyllic life in “Apples Never Fall.” This highly anticipated Peacock series adapts the bestselling novel by Liane Moriarty, author of “Big Little Lies” and “Nine Perfect Strangers.” ‘Apples’ follows the trajectory of Moriarty’s other adaptations by recruiting an all-star cast. 

Continue reading ‘Apples Never Fall’ Trailer: Secrets Poison Family In A New Thriller Starring Annette Bening, Sam Neill & Alison Brie at The Playlist.

From writer, showrunner and executive producer Melanie Marnich (“The OA,” “The Affair”), executive producer David Heyman (“Wonka,” “Barbie”) and based on Liane Moriarty’s (“Big Little Lies,” “9 Perfect Strangers”) #1 New York Times bestselling novel of the same name “Apples Never Fall” is a new Apple TV drama arriving in March.

Continue reading ‘Apples Never Fall’ Teaser: Annette Bening, Alison Brie & Sam Neill Star In A Dark Family Secrets Drama at The Playlist.

When fans try to rank the most iconic Catwoman actresses, many will put Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance in “Batman Returns” up there with the best of the best. But believe it or not, the role actually wasn’t originally meant for Pfeiffer. Instead, it was Annette Bening who was set to put on the leather catsuit. So, what happened?

READ MORE: ‘Catwoman’: Tim Burton’s Spinoff Would’ve Been An ‘$18 Million Black & White’ Film, Says ‘Batman Returns’ Sceenwriter

Well, in a recent episode of the Happy.

Continue reading ‘Batman Returns’: Annette Bening Talks Dropping Out Of Catwoman Role at The Playlist.

It’s been said a million times already, but it remains true—some of the most interesting stories are being told on TV rather than in films. With the film industry becoming more and more reliant either on franchises and blockbusters or low-budget horror, there’s not a lot of space for the mid-budget adult drama. And those projects have now, for the most part, migrated over to TV where streaming services and premium networks snatch up limited series filled with all-star casts.

Continue reading ‘Apples Never Fall’ First Look: Annette Bening, Sam Neill, Alison Brie & More Star In Peacock’s Upcoming Drama Series at The Playlist.

Oscar-winning documentarian filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin have made an entire career out of making nerve-wracking feats-of-athleticism documentaries like the incredible, Oscar-winning “Free Solo,” “Meru” and 2021’s “The Rescue,” about the death-defying race against time to rescue the boys trapped in the caves of Thailand that made international news. Naturally, given the intensity of their films, Hollywood has come knocking for them to try their hand at non-documentaries and dramas.

Continue reading ‘Nyad’ Trailer: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Star In A Swimming Drama From The ‘Free Solo’ Directors at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – The life of Diana Nyad is the sort of true story that’s absolutely ripe for a movie biopic. A record-setting distance swimmer in her 20s, she retired at the age of 30 to pursue a career in sports journalism. A little over thirty years later, she got the itch to challenge herself again and decided to attempt something no man or woman had ever pulled off: a grueling open-water swim from Cuba to Florida.

Continue reading ‘Nyad’ Review: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Battle Rough Biopic Waters [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of “Death on the Nile” begins with a sequence that is miles removed from Agatha Christie — indeed, it feels like a Branagh has spliced in a missing reel from “1917.” In an unbroken take, his camera snakes through a WWI-era foxhole, ending with the delivery of orders for a suicide mission. But maybe not. A young farmer and solider, Hercule Poirot (played by a de-aged Branagh), saves the day with a battle strategy based on his keen powers of observation, only to have his face scarred by a land mine detonated by his captain.

Continue reading ‘Death On The Nile’ Review: Kenneth Branagh’s Latest Agatha Christie Adaptation is Another Lead-Footed Drag at The Playlist.

After their Oscar-winning success with the documentary “Free Solo,” and the awards recognition they’ve already received for last year’s “The Rescue,” all eyes are on what’s next for directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. And it appears they’re finally putting together the cast for their narrative feature debut, “Nyad.”

READ MORE: ‘The Rescue’ Directors On The Importance Of Positive Asian Portrayals In Documentaries [Interview]

According to THR, the directing duo have signed Jodie Foster and Annette Bening to join the growing cast of their upcoming narrative feature, “Nyad,” for Netflix.

Continue reading ‘Nyad’: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Join The Cast Of The Upcoming Film From ‘Free Solo’ Directors at The Playlist.

As an Oscar winner, Christoph Waltz is well-known for his acting chops. But now, he will finally make his directorial debut. He couldn’t have picked a more interesting option with “Georgetown.”

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

“Georgetown” stars Waltz as Ulrich Mott, a charismatic man in a marriage with a much older woman named Elsa that turns the heads of nearly everyone around him.

Continue reading ‘Georgetown’ Trailer: Christoph Waltz Is Accused Of Killing His Wife In The Actor’s Directorial Debut at The Playlist.

A divorce is one of the hardest parts of life, you feel you are with the one and then it all comes crashing down. It feels especially hard when you’ve been with your significant other for a considerable amount of time and then it just…ends. In “Hope Gap” the turmoil in a couple who have been together 29 years, comes to a head.

Directed and written by Oscar-nominated Englishman, William Nicholson (“Shadowlands”), the film will showcase the breakdown of the marriage between Grace (Annette Bening from “American Beauty”) and Edward (Bill Nighy from “About Time”) as their son, Jamie (Josh O’Connor from “The Crown”), visiting from university is torn between his parents.

Continue reading ‘Hope Gap’ Trailer: Bill Nighy Wants To Divorce Annette Bening In William Nicholson’s Drama at The Playlist.

As this maddening list attests—one that nearly broke us trying to order “properly”—putting together a Best of Decade list is dangerous work. There’s just a million factors to consider, a million people and look, we anguish and anguish and at the end of the day it’s all arbitrary anyhow, so don’t give us shit!

READ MORE: 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2020

As the 100 Best Films of The 2010s Decade proved, no matter what you claim about the state of cinema and the sky is falling, the best of the best was unimpeachable.

Continue reading The Best Film Performances Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

TORONTO – There is a plague festering in the world’s cinemas in 2019 and, no, it’s not superhero movies. From low budget indies to the latest from celebrated global auteurs to studio productions, contemporary film has been beset with…drones. So many drones. Drone shot after done shot it’s as though an Apple TV screensaver has been cut into a film indiscriminately. This problem has slowly percolated over the decade as drones became more commonplace and affordable to filmmakers, but has peaked this year.

Continue reading Annette Bening Fights Off An Inevitable Divorce In ‘Hope Gap’ [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

If you’ve seen Adam McKay‘s “Vice,” the portrait of former Vice President Dick Cheney, the movie may have given you some handy context you may have forgotten. No, acclaimed writer/director Scott Z. Burns‘ “The Report” is not a comedic, dark political satire, but it does spin-off from some of the events in that film. In “Vice,” it’s shown how Cheney is instrumental in finding any shred of information, credible or not, to help justify the war in Iraq in the early aughts. 

Continue reading ‘The Report’: Adam Driver & Director Scott Z. Burns Look At Post-9/11 Torture Methods By The CIA at The Playlist.

Like most of this season so far, the Supporting Actress race is full of longshots and “Well, if this happens…” contenders.  Maybe Laura Dern and Jennifer Lopez have the most momentum going for them for their roles in “Marriage Story” and “Hustlers,” but at this point it feels like a coin flip all around. [Updated September 17]

IN THE CONVERSATION
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Judi Dench, “Cats”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Jennifer Hudson, “Cats”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Nicole Kidman, “Bombshell”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Taylor Russell, “Waves”

LONGSHOTS
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Julie Hagerty, “Marriage Story”
Tilda Swinton, “The Souvenir”
Zhao Shuzhen, “The Farewell”
Emma Thompson, “Late Night”
Laura Dern, “Little Women”
Penelope Cruz, “Pain and Glory”
Octavia Spencer, “Luce”
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Waves”

More Oscar predictions 

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Director

Continue reading 2020 Best Supporting Actress Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

When you piss off the American Theater Wing they tend to let you know it and for Aaron Sorkin and “To Kill A Mockingbird,” their anger resulted in arguably one of the biggest snubs in Tony Awards history.  That being said, the 2019 Tony Award nominations were full of surprises and snubs in what turned out to be a very competitive year.  But “Mockingbird’s” omission will particularly sting.

READ MORE: Time Out names “Tootsie” as the Best Film of All Time

The adaptation of Harper Lee‘s classic novel was celebrated by critics and is one of the biggest non-musical hits to hit Broadway in years, but was left out of Tony’s top category, Best Play.  

Continue reading Tony Awards Nominations: ‘Tootsie’ & ‘Beetlejuice’ Sing While ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Snubbed at The Playlist.

**Spoilers for “Captain Marvel” follow. You’ve been warned.**

Unless you’re a comic book nerd that actually knows the history of the character of Captain Marvel, like me (not the best brag in the world, I must admit), you probably didn’t think twice when it was revealed that Annette Bening’s secondary character in the recent Marvel Studios film was revealed to be Dr. Wendy Lawson.

READ MORE: ‘Captain Marvel’ Flies High & Fast, But Struggles With Narrative Turbulence [Review]

However, when I heard the name, my mind went into overdrive.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’ Directors Discuss How Annette Bening’s Role Was Changed To A Female At The Last Minute at The Playlist.

PARK CITY – Thanks to almost non-stop political upheaval and 3-hour news cycles, some of the biggest stories of the century haven’t gotten their proper due. One of those moments was the 2012 release of the Senate Intelligence Committee’s report on CIA torture.  The investigation was overseen by the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee at the time, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and researched by staffer Daniel J. Jones along with a minimal staff of associates.

Continue reading Annette Bening & Adam Driver Power Slightly Too Dense Drama ‘The Report’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Dan Fogelman is a master at crafting ensemble dramas, which is proven by his hit television series “This Is Us.” Now, Fogelman is bringing his vision to the big screen with the film “Life Itself.”

So far, the only details about the plot are that it depicts the lives of different people intersecting over the course of different generations. How these lives are being intertwined will be interesting to see.

Continue reading ‘Life Itself’ Trailer: Oscar Isaac Headlines An All-Star Film About Love That Spans Decades at The Playlist.

When you think of modern film composers, there are some pretty big names associated with the title: John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat and Michael Giacchino, are just a few of the famous artists who come to mind. Sadly, there aren’t that many well-known female composers aside from a few like Rachel Portman, perhaps Lisa Gerrard and more recently, Mica Levi.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’: Pinar Toprak Will Be The MCU’s First Female Composer at The Playlist.

After her role in “Lady Bird,” and just about everything else she’s done over her short career, Saoirse Ronan is an actress that you have to keep an eye on. It just seems like the young actress never picks a bad project. Judging by the first trailer for her next film, “The Seagull,” it looks like that streak will no doubt continue.

While the trailer may not be the best marketing material to ever hit the internet, it does accomplish its task – sell the film based on the amazing cast and crew.

Continue reading ‘The Seagull’ Trailer Features Amazing Cast Led By Saoirse Ronan and Annette Bening at The Playlist.

We might be entering into another peak phase of Jamie Bell‘s career.  After an unfortunate association with the “Fantastic Four” reboot and a four-season run on AMC’s “Turn,” the 31-year-old actor returns with one of his best performances yet in Paul McGuigan’s “Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool.”  And, frankly, while the movie has its issues, more people should be paying attention to Bell’s impressive work in it.

Continue reading Jamie Bell Thought He Blew A Pivotal Scene In ‘Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool’ at The Playlist.

There are a lot of movies trying to elbow into the awards race, and Sony Pictures Classics is hoping voters will remember “Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool.” While it doesn’t have the same buzz as the studio’s other major contender — “Call Me By Your Name” — it does have a big, secret weapon: the legendary Annette Bening.

The actress leads the movie as Hollywood star Gloria Grahame, in this based on a true story tale about the actresses’ late life relationship and romance with a much younger lover.

Continue reading ‘Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool’ Trailer: Love Blooms Between Annette Bening & Jamie Bell at The Playlist.

It was probably inevitable, but at this point it’s a smart bet that the 2018 Best Picture winner didn’t screen at the 44th Telluride Film Festival. I mean, sure, it’s still possible, and without question the annual Labor Day cinephile extravaganza featured at least two Best Picture nominees: “The Shape of Water” and “Darkest Hour.” But no one left the Colorado town believing either were locks to win Oscar’s top prize.

Continue reading Fox Searchlight Dominates Telluride As ‘Shape Of Water’ And ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ Make Oscar Pitches at The Playlist.

Annette Bening has been nominated for an Oscar four times, but has yet to put one on the shelf. But that could change this year thanks to “Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool,” which is already earning awards season buzz, not just for Bening’s turn, but for the performance of her co-star Jamie Bell as well.

READ MORE: Annette Bening Shines In ‘Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool’ [Telluride Review]

Directed by Paul McGuigan (“The Acid House,” “Gangster No.

Continue reading ‘Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool’ Trailer: Annette Bening & Jamie Bell Fall In Love at The Playlist.