The biopic or true story film is always a draw for audiences. Seeing recreated scenes and historialc figures presented on screen offers a moment to relive actual events. Beneath the sweeping music and added dramatic license, exist nuances that are riveting and techniques that offer a greater appreciation for this real life events. Reliving true stories isn’t just entertaining, it’s contemplative too, bringing us close to experiences we may have only seen on the news or read on the page.

Continue reading ‘Based On A True Story’ Supercut Brings Together Dramatization & Reality at The Playlist.

All summer long, audiences were wary of sequels and reboots, with many underperforming or outright tanking. And while Fox will likely wind up being happy with the numbers for “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” it’s safe to say they were hoping for a slightly better result.

The sequel found its way to the top of the box office this weekend, knocking out two-week champion “It.” Earning $39 million, Matthew Vaughn‘s R-rated flick only did slightly better than the $36 million bow of ‘The Secret Service’ two years ago.

Continue reading ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ Suits Up At The Multiplex [Box Office] at The Playlist.

Venice? Check. Telluride? Check. TIFF? Pretty much, check. The three major film festivals that traditionally mark the start of Oscar season are officially over (TIFF runs until the weekend, but all the major premieres are in the bag). And, for the first time in recent history, there is no real Best Picture frontrunner yet (let alone two when “12 Years A Slave” and “Gravity” split pundits four years ago). There are no Buzzfeed articles out of Toronto proclaiming [insert movie title] is winning Oscar’s top prize or that collective feeling out of Telluride that no matter what happens the industry on hand simply love it too much for it to lose (see “Argo,” “The Artist,” “The King’s Speech”).

Continue reading There Are No Frontrunners Yet, So Here’s Some Unsolicited Oscar Advice For Hollywood at The Playlist.

The Telluride Film Festival is in the rear-view mirror and the Venice Film Festival will finish up this week and that means they’ll both give way to the Toronto International Film Festival, easily the largest film festival in North America, and in terms of sheer size and volume, probably the largest film festival in the world. TIFF usually houses around 300 films or so, and it’s such a wide and varied event, you can curate it to your tastes: you could stick with glossy mainstream picks with stars, indie up-and-comers, Midnight Madness pictures, foreign films, documentaries, experimental films, and shorts if you wish.

Continue reading 2017 Toronto International Film Festival: 21 Must-See Films 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.

TELLURIDE – The exhibition tennis match in 1973 between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs was truly historic. Over 30,000 people were on hand in the Houston Astrodome and reportedly 50 million watched it on television in the U.S. and 90 million worldwide. It was a signature moment for the women’s liberation movement at the time and was a monster marketing opportunity for women’s tennis. Unknown to many, however, was the personal journey King was undertaking.

Continue reading ‘Battle Of The Sexes’: Emma Stone Holds Serve In Back And Forth Drama [Telluride Review] at The Playlist.

Months later and we’re still spurred into excitement when we remember the surprising “Moonlight” win of last year’s Oscars, making it all the more surreal that we’re about to be thrown head first into this year’s awards season with the trio of the Venice Film Festival, Telluride and The Toronto International Film Festival all happening one after another (with some even overlapping).

Continue reading 12 Must-See Movies To Watch In September at The Playlist.

The Telluride Film Festival has earned its reputation as one of the best-curated film events in the world and this year’s lineup is no exception. Contrary to popular opinion, the programmers don’t make their selections in regards to a film’s Oscar chances as much as whether they think it will challenge or captivate the faithful moviegoers who spend $780 (or more) for passes (it’s not a cheap fest, but to the regulars it’s movie heaven).

Continue reading Telluride Film Festival: 10 Most Anticipated Films at The Playlist.

The 44th Telluride Film Festival announced its main program Thursday morning and it includes a number of highly anticipated premieres as well as the always sought after second screenings of a few Venice Film Festival showcases.

This year’s lineup includes:

ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (d. Rebecca Miller, U.S., 2017)
BATTLE OF THE SEXES (d. Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, U.S., 2017)
DARKEST HOUR (d. Joe Wright, U.K., 2017)
DOWNSIZING (d.

Continue reading 2017 Telluride Film Festival Lineup Includes ‘Hostiles,’ ‘Lady Bird,’ ‘The Shape Of Water,’ More at The Playlist.

While we have our eyeballs full with Venice, TIFF, NYFF, and Telluride (which kicks off this weekend), The BFI London Film Festival is no slouch at bringing the business. While they’re less concerned with World Premieres as their counterparts, each year their lineup represents the cream of the festival crop, and 2017 is no different.

Among the highlights in the first wave of programming is Lynne Ramsay‘s “You Were Never Really Here,” which notably isn’t screening at “the big three” North American festivals.

Continue reading 2017 BFI London Film Festival Lines Up ‘You Were Never Really Here,’ ‘Mudbound,’ ‘Lean On Pete,’ More at The Playlist.

Summer is almost over, so get to the beach while you can in these dwindling dog days of August. Though the season is winding down, the fall film festival circuit is just around the corner. As usual, blockbusters will move aside, for the bounty of riches of more adult fare for the aficionado of cinema and humanist dramas. But don’t worry, there’s a “Star Wars” movie and a DC Films picture on the way if you’re so inclined too.

Continue reading 50 Most Anticipated Films: Fall Movie Preview at The Playlist.

The first wave of 2017 Toronto International Film Festival screenings were announced this morning and, as always, it was illuminating in many ways. Toronto still has its share of complete world premieres, but in many ways has become a catch up festival for potential awards players that have already debuted at Sundance, Cannes, Venice and the dreaded Telluride. And, it must be noted, while TIFF has focused on a slimmer and more “focused” slate this year there will still be a ton of other titles added in the weeks to come.

Continue reading What TIFF’s 2017 Slate Tells Us About the 2018 Oscar Race at The Playlist.

This morning, the Toronto International Film Festival unwrapped their first wave of titles, and their 2017 lineup is looking very impressive out of the gate.

It’s auteurs and high profile titles left and right, with plenty of dive into. Right at the top of our must-see list is Darren Aronofsky‘s “mother!” starring Jennifer Lawrence, with Scott Cooper‘s “Hostiles” starring Christian Bale, and Sebastian Lelio‘s “Disobedience” high on our list.

Continue reading TIFF 2017 Lines Up ‘mother!,’ ‘Hostiles,’ ‘I, Tonya,’ ‘The Current War,’ ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ & More at The Playlist.

This time last year we were feeling pretty down about the state of the blockbuster summer, having had a run of duds so instantly forgettable that we had to look them up again to remember (stuff like “X-Men: Apocalypse,” “Alice Through The Looking Glass,” “Warcraft,” and “Independence Day” — see what I mean?). Spin forward a twelvemonth and the picture is very different.

Continue reading 50 Films We Hope To See At The 2017 Fall Festivals at The Playlist.

Fresh off her recent Oscar win, Emma Stone is starring in another possible Oscar contender, “Battle Of The Sexes” alongside Steve Carell, with the trailer just dropping today. The Jonathan Dayton– and Valerie Faris-directed film follows the famous tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. The official synopsis is below:

The 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) became the most watched televised sports event of all time.

Continue reading It’s Game On For Emma Stone & Steve Carell In First Trailer For ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ at The Playlist.

After singing and dancing her way to an Oscar in “La La Land,” Emma Stone is strapping on some sneakers and hitting the courts for “Battle Of The Sexes,” and some new images have landed.

The film reteams the actress with her “Crazy Stupid Love” co-star Steve Carell, for this based-on-a-true-story tale about the titular 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which tackled the conversation about gender and sports head on. 

Continue reading Emma Stone & Steve Carell Get On The Court In New Images From ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ at The Playlist.

There’s now less than a month until Christmas, and after a start last week with our look at the Best Posters and Best Trailers of the year, this week commences in earnest our annual smorgasbord of movie love that is our annual Playlist year-end features marathon. We’ll be looking at the best and worst of films, performances, sequences, cinematography, soundtracks and more across the next few weeks, which will serve as a reminder that 2016 was a pretty strong year at the movies.

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

First Look: Emma Stone And Steve Carell in Billie Jean King Tennis Movie 'Battles Of The Sexes'

Continue reading First Look: Emma Stone And Steve Carell in Billie Jean King Tennis Movie ‘Battles Of The Sexes’ at The Playlist.

Emma Stone Rejoins 'Battle Of The Sexes' With Steve Carell

Continue reading Emma Stone Rejoins ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ With Steve Carell at The Playlist.

Brie Larson Replaces Emma Stone In 'Battle Of The Sexes' With Steve Carell

Continue reading Brie Larson Replaces Emma Stone In ‘Battle Of The Sexes’ With Steve Carell at The Playlist.

Steve Carell & Emma Stone Reteam For 'Battle Of The Sexes,' Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris To Direct

Continue reading Steve Carell & Emma Stone Reteam For ‘Battle Of The Sexes,’ Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris To Direct at The Playlist.