The Art Directors Guild revealed the nominees for the 28th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards also known as the ADG Awards this morning and there were, for better or worse, few surprises. On the film side, potential Oscar nominees “Asteroid City,” “Barbie,” “Poor Things” and “Oppenheimer” all earned nominations in the three ADG film categories. The television categories saw familiar players such as “The Crown,” “The Gilded Age,” “Succession,” and “The Bear” land noms.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City,’ ‘Poor Things’ & ‘The Gilded Age’ Among 2024 ADG Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

Like trailers, movie posters are marketing materials to put butts in seats for movies and one could argue—with the fragmenting nature of streaming and the downtrends of movie theatergoing—that movie posters aren’t as important as they once were to pop culture and movie-going culture. That said, we still love ‘em, especially the artful, more visually dynamic ones that aren’t afraid to do more than put a bunch of floating heads on a poster to sell the cast of a movie. 

2023 Fall Film Preview: 60+ Most Anticipated Movies To Watch

Posters vary in quality, and obviously, many of the mainstream film ones are pretty basic, sometimes overtly colorful to the point of being garish, and don’t even get us get us started on characters posters (especially the ones for, like, the 10th character actor on the call sheet that while we love and all, might not really warrant a full poster to themselves).

Continue reading The 20 Best Film Posters Of 2023 at The Playlist.

Whether a casual moviegoer or a die-hard cinephile, a Wes Anderson film is likely among your favorites. Anderson is a meticulous director who pours everything into the stories he tells. His most recent film, “Asteroid City,” is no different, and falls once again into the wacky, visually stunning, and amazingly cast categories the director’s known for. 

The film, which had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year before its theatrical release, takes place in a fictional desert town in the 1950s where a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is being held after life-changing events happen.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ Celebrating Home Release With Exclusive Gift Set [Contest] at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” is in wide release this weekend (read our review), and as we’ve noted over the last few weeks, the filmmaker is moving at a quick pace never seen before in his career. 2022 and 2023 saw back-to-back Cannes premieres, “The French Dispatch” and “Asteroid City,” and later this year, he will release yet another film for Netflix, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” which is actually only 37 minutes long.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s Next Film Is A Father/Daughter Espionage Film Featuring Benicio Del Toro & A “Darker Tone” at The Playlist.

Already in limited release, Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City” opens in a wider release this weekend, Friday, June 23. Essentially split into two parts, the film centers on a grieving father (Jason Schwartzman) who travels with his tech-obsessed family to a small rural ‘Asteroid City’ to compete in a junior stargazing event, only to have his perspective on life— his cosmology as it where— disrupted forever by world-altering events.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright & More Talk Uncertainty, Meaning & Wes Anderson’s Stargazing Creation at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson’s soundtracks were initially known for their Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, and lots of ’60s and 70s rock at first. Eventually, that started to change; Anderson split with composer Mark Mothersbaugh, found a new ally in French composer Alexandre Desplat, and the music choices were less immediately identifiable, not quite as conventionally hip, but still tasteful choices (think the use of Hank Williams in “Moonrise Kingdom,” The Bobby Fuller Band in “Fantastic Mr.

Continue reading ‘Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ Soundtrack Features Jarvis Cocker, Alexandre Desplat, Bing Crosby & More at The Playlist.

Bryan Cranston hits the big screen next as part of the ensemble cast of Wes Anderson‘s latest opus, “Asteroid City.” But don’t expect the actor in any follow-ups Anderson plans, at least after 2026. Indiewire (via British GQ) reports that Cranston plans to retire that year after he turns 70 and then move to France. How’s that for a Hollywood exit?

READ MORE: Bryan Cranston On Wes Anderson, ‘Asteroid City’ & Oh Yeah, Cannes

But is Cranston’s retirement plan a permanent one?

Continue reading Bryan Cranston Plans To Retire From Acting & Move To France With His Wife In 2026 at The Playlist.

Just weeks after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Wes Anderson‘s “Asteroid City” hits limited screens on June 16 before opening wide on June 23. That’s a good turnaround from premiere to theatrical release, but par for the course for Mr. Anderson. But the turnaround between “Asteroid City” and the director’s next project, “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” might be even more impressive.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Is Done With ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ For Netflix & Is Already Prepping His Thirteenth Feature at The Playlist.

Over five decades and eighty films, Tom Hanks has steadily become one of Hollywood’s most estimable acting talents. But not even Hanks abides by every movie he’s done; in fact, he says only four of them are “pretty good,” and he hates a few of them, too.

READ MORE: ‘Asteroid City’ Review: Wes Anderson Explores The Loneliness Of The Cosmos & Our Place In It Through Creation & Grief [Cannes]

EW reports (via The New Yorker) that Hanks got frank with David Remnik in a new interview about the publication of his debut novel, “The Making Of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece.” “O.K., let’s admit this: We all have seen movies that we hate,” Hanks told Remnick.

Continue reading Tom Hanks On His Filmography: “I Have Been In Some Movies That I Hate” at The Playlist.

CANNES – He had a bite of Wes Anderson’s world voicing Chief in the stop-motion animated “Isle of Dogs,” but Bryan Cranston is now officially a member of the auteur’s growing live action ensemble. The six-time Emmy Award winner, two-time Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee joined the club with his role as the inquisitive 1950s television program narrator in “Asteroid City.” And, if you’ve ever spoken to any of the other longtime Anderson collaborators, you quickly learn that for actors, a Wes Anderson movie is a blast.

Continue reading Bryan Cranston on Wes Anderson, ‘Asteroid City’ &, Oh Yeah, Cannes at The Playlist.

CANNES – For someone who is notoriously media-shy, Wes Anderson was in a delightful mood at the press conference for his new film, “Asteroid City.” And considering the star power alongside him on the dias, he dominated the conversation. Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise considering the power of his cinematic brand.

READ MORE: Robert De Niro finds Trump parallel in his real life ‘Killers of The Flower Moon’ character [Cannes]

Releasing in theaters next month, the 1955-set drama centers on a bunch of strangers who, along with their teenage children, are quarantined in a remote desert town after an extraterrestrial visit.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Wes Anderson Talks Aliens, Actors & Secret Animatics [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Wes Anderson is a genre; one of decorative embellishment, ornamental whimsy, baroque fantasy, and symmetrical precision. It wasn’t always this way, and it’s also not just superficial embroidery. “Rushmore” had a moving bittersweetness anchoring its fanciful formal wit, and “The Royal Tenenbaums” refined Anderson’s patented wistful stories about romantics, failed dreams, and faded glories within imaginative color-coded costumes and increasingly meticulous aesthetics.

READ MORE: 2023 Cannes Film Festival: 21 Must-See Movies To Watch

Somewhere in the middle, the American filmmaker became a little unsure of his identity amidst sudden reproach (‘Life Aquatic,’ ‘Darjeeling Limited’); however, he quickly realized his inimitable cinematic handwriting made him unique.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’ Review: Wes Anderson Explores The Loneliness Of The Cosmos & Our Place In It Through Creation & Grief [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Do you love whimsy? How about saturated colors and a period desert setting? Then you’re in luck! Wes Anderson has all of that, in spades, with his new film, “Asteroid City.”

READ MORE: 2023 Cannes Film Festival: 21 Must-See Movies To Watch

As seen in the three new clips from “Asteroid City,” Wes Anderson’s new comedy is, well, very much a Wes Anderson film.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Take A Trip To Wes Anderson’s Star-Studded Desert Town In 3 New Clips at The Playlist.

As we head into the summer blockbuster season, we get inundated with franchises, the latest Marvel and ‘Fast’ movies, tentpoles, and mega films of all sorts. But thankfully, before it really starts in earnest, and we’re on to the third major superhero film of the year, we get some alternative options at the Cannes Film Festival. Or at least the lucky few of us who get to attend do, and the rest of us get to highly anticipate their regular theatrical (or streaming) release.

Continue reading 2023 Cannes Film Festival: 21 Must-See Movies To Watch at The Playlist.

There is a discussion on Film Twitter that the people excited to see Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” are not the same people that are excited to see Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” We disagree. Whether the masses want to believe it or not, it’s a Barbie world, and we’re all just living in it–even Ryan Gosling has admitted that he’s finally discovered his Ken-ergy.

Continue reading Summer 2023 Movie Preview: 52 Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.

Universal Pictures may have had some big guns to play with at CinemaCon with Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” and David Leitch’s “The Fall Guy,” but its mini-major division, Focus Features, wanted a little bit of the spotlight. Chairman Peter Kujawski took the stage and made the argument that the data shows that specialty business has recovered more than the media narrative thinks it has.

Continue reading Ethan Coen’s ‘Drive Away Dolls’ Tops Focus Features CinemaCon Previews at The Playlist.

After a stellar 2022 edition, the Cannes Film Festival is gearing up for its 76th edition next month. Today, Iris Knobloch, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, revealed most of the In Competition, Un Certain Regard, and Out of Competition slates. Cinephiles should be excited as new films from Wes Anderson, Jonathan Glazer, Steve McQueen, and Todd Haynes, among others, are set to make their debut on la Croisette.

Continue reading Wes Anderson, Jonathan Glazer, Steve McQueen, Todd Haynes To Debut New Films At The 2023 Cannes Film Festival at The Playlist.

Directors like Wes Anderson are meticulous, with hyper-detailed work that usually only comes every two-three years at best. But the American ex-pat, who lives in France full-time now, has been working at a super-fast clip lately—some of that due to the pandemic pile-up. Last year was “The French Dispatch,” a movie about American ex-pats and a kind of love letter to The New Yorker, and this year, Anderson already has another film in the can and debuting in June.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’ Trailer: Wes Anderson Tackles Phenomenons, Aliens & More With An All-Star Cast In June at The Playlist.

Without seeing one frame of Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” people were already predicting two things. 1) The film is going to be quirky as hell (duh). And 2) The new film is going to premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. With a summer release date and Anderson’s track record, it just seemed as if a no-brainer for “Asteroid City” to hit Cannes. And now, it seems as if that is confirmed.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Wes Anderson’s Newest Film Debuts Poster & Lands Cannes World Premiere at The Playlist.

Just last week, it was reported that Apple TV+ is expected to send “Killers of the Flower Moon” to this year’s Cannes. While that has yet to be confirmed, a new report from Variety throws some more films into the mix as possible additions to this year’s event. And yes, it appears Cannes is embracing the blockbuster, yet again.

READ MORE: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ Might Premiere At Cannes 2023 In May

The report continues to fuel the notion that Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited “Killers of the Flower Moon” is being eyed for a Cannes premiere.

Continue reading ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ Miyazaki’s ‘How Do You Live?’ & More Possibly Debuting At This Year’s Cannes at The Playlist.

Some of our favorite filmmakers are working at an insane pace right now. Claire Denis released two films in 2022 (“Both Sides of The Blade,” “Stars At Noon”), Yorgos Lanthimos could probably release two films in 2023 if he wanted (“Poor Things” is definitely coming next year and “And” has already been shot), and Wes Anderson’s moving at a clip too.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ With Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks & More Dated For June 2023 at The Playlist.

Every year, we think, “Okay, we’re not doing 100 films this year. F that!” But after much consideration, we’re gluttons for punishment. The annual 100 Most Anticipated Films of [Insert Year Here], in this case 2023, is always a huge beast, a herculean task, and one that makes us lose our minds a little bit, tbh. And it’s always fascinating to see what we rank high or low, and then either becomes much more important a film to that year (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans” not ranked all that high in 2022, but some of the most important films of the year) and or things we rank really high that turn out to either be duds, or just non-starters (now, of course, anticipating something and whether it’s actually great are two different things).

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023 at The Playlist.

It came as a bit of shock earlier this week when news broke that Bill Murray would in fact not be in Wes Anderson‘s latest outing, “Asteroid City.” After all, Murray first announced the movie’s title in October 2021 at the BFI London Film Festival. The actor is also a mainstay in Anderson’s ensembles, appearing in nine of the director’s films over the years.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Bill Murray Dropped Out Of Wes Anderson’s New Movie Due To COVID at The Playlist.

Back in the late-‘90s, based on the release of “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore,” no one was thinking Wes Anderson films would turn into big event releases. However, more than 20 years later, the film industry absolutely loves the filmmaker’s work, as he is always in the awards conversation and his casting is second-to-none. And you better believe his next film, “Asteroid City,” will arrive with just as much pomp and circumstance as most blockbusters. 

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Wes Anderson’s New Film Gets An Official Synopsis As Bill Murray Seems To Be No Longer Involved at The Playlist.

Putting together the 100 Most Anticipated Films list is a beast in any year. Still, in the new accelerated age of streaming with HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon, Netflix, and all the new players popping up every single day, it seems, the task becomes more and more daunting and nearly impossible (we could have easily gone to 200 this year).

So we’re post-COVID, but oops, not-yet post-COVID, but somehow movies have survived, even if the theatrical market becomes a more challenging and riskier gambit.

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022 at The Playlist.