How far would you go to win every bet?  Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Henry Sugar in “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” The short film, based on a Roald Dahl story, sees a rich man seek his own rewards over doing the right thing; in the process, he seeks out a guru who may give him a gambling advantage. What follows is a story that shows what we wish for and what we get are two very different things. 

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ Trailer: Wes Anderson Gets Whimsical With Benedict Cumberbatch On Sept 27 at The Playlist.

British author Roald Dahl has long been referred to as one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century, a seemingly flattering but objectively flawed observation. Dahl is, after all, not just one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century. He is one of the best storytellers of the 20th century period. 

This sentiment guides many cinematic Dahl adaptations, whether or not they come wrapped as children’s films.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’ Review: Wes Anderson & Roald Dahl Are A Match Made In Cinema Heaven [Venice] at The Playlist.

Is Wes Anderson entering a prolific period of his career? It certainly appears so, as after premiering “Asteroid City” at Cannes in May, he has a new short ready for the Venice Film Festival. And after “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” debuts on the Lido, it will be a Netflix streaming exclusive.

READ MORE: Venice 2023: New Films From Bradley Cooper, David Fincher, Sofia Coppola and…Woody Allen

The streamer now has the exact date when subscribers should expect Anderson’s short film to arrive: September 27.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar’: Wes Anderson’s New Short Arrives On Netflix On September 27 at The Playlist.

Ron Howard’s 1985 classic “Cocoon” was “E.T.” for an older generation in many ways. And every generation needs an update on a tried and true classic, right? Well, that could be the new film “Jules” about a UFO and extra-terrestrial that disrupts the lives of the elderly.

READ MORE: Summer 2023 Movie Preview: 52 Must-See Films To Watch

When an elderly man in a small town receives an unexpected visitor, his life and the lives of two women in his community are upended completely in this delightful comedic drama, “Jules,” directed by Marc Turtletaub (producer “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Farewell”; director “Puzzle”).

Continue reading ‘Jules’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley’s Life Is Upended By A UFO & An Extra-Terrestrial at The Playlist.

With “Asteroid City” starting its limited theatrical release this weekend before going wide on June 23, Wes Anderson looks ahead to upcoming projects. And while he already has another projected line up he wants to shoot this Fall, before that comes “The Wonderful Life Of Henry Sugar.” The filmmaker’s Roald Dahl adaptation with Netflix is already in the can, but Variety reports (via IndieWire) that it’s less a feature film than a glorified short.

Continue reading ‘The Wonderful Life Of Henry Sugar’: Wes Anderson Says His Upcoming Netflix Project Is Only 37 Minutes Long at The Playlist.

Mary Harron has tackled all sorts of difficult subjects over her nearly thirty-year career. Audiences may know her best for her 2000 adaptation of Brad Easton Ellis‘ “American Psycho” with Christian Bale. But don’t sleep on “The Notorious Betty Page” or 2018’s “Charlie Says,” about the Manson Family cult.  

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

But in her latest film, Harron tacks into a slightly different direction for her biopic, “Daliland.” There are no violent fantasies, pin-up girls, or psychological coercion here.

Continue reading ‘Daliland’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley & Ezra Miller Star In Mary Harron’s Biopic About The Legendary Artist On June 9 at The Playlist.

Mary Harron is too good a director to make a drab, conventional biopic, so it’s disappointing to report that with “Dalíland,” she’s done just that. It’s not a complete waste, and she manages to insert a handful of distinctive flourishes and memorable characters. But the picture never escapes the box it’s been placed in or transcends a key, fundamental error in its conception – and, likely, none of that will matter anyway since the primary focus of its coverage will, presumably, continue to be the fleeting presence of Ezra Miller.

Continue reading ‘Dalíland’ Review: A Disappointingly Drab Biopic From Mary Harron Despite A Game Ben Kingsley [TIFF] at The Playlist.

One of the things fans enjoy most about the MCU is just how interconnected everything is. Over the past 15-ish years, Marvel Studios has created a universe that spans more than two dozen films and multiple TV series, allowing for some characters to venture through multiple different franchises. Oddly enough, one of those characters is Ben Kingsley’s Trevor Slattery, who started as a pseudo-villain in “Iron Man 3” and reappeared in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” as comedic relief.

Continue reading ‘Wonder Man’: Ben Kingsley To Return As Trevor Slattery In Upcoming Marvel Series at The Playlist.

Well, it was never really in doubt. Still, now it’s 200% official, Wes Anderson’s next next film, the one happening after “Asteroid City” with Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johannsson, and Margot Robbie, is an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story collection, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More,” for Netflix. And yes, Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power Of The Dog”) will star, but there’s much more.

Continue reading Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Anthology Film Will Also Star Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel & Ben Kingsley at The Playlist.

So, even though Marvel Studios has done a great job already of spoiling one of the big surprises of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” we’re not going to do the same thing here.

LISTEN: Destin Daniel Cretton Talks ‘Shang-Chi,’ Working With Marvel Studios & More [The Playlist Podcast]

**Spoilers for ‘Shang-Chi’ below**

So, if you’ve seen “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” and you weren’t spoiled by Marvel Studios revealing the character’s appearance through videos and images on social media, then you were likely surprised by the appearance of Ben Kingsley returning as Trevor Slattery, aka the fake Mandarin from “Iron Man 3.” Though his appearance makes complete sense and fits well in the story of ‘Shang-Chi,’ Trevor’s reappearance after nearly a decade was still surprising and unexpected.

Continue reading ‘Shang-Chi’ Director Was “Intimidated” About Asking ‘Iron Man 3’ Actor To Return at The Playlist.

In many ways, “Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings” is a remix of previous Marvel Studios films that’s a little more pronounced than most films that play with superhero archetypes. You have the hero who is haunted by his dark past (See “Black Widow” for a recent example), the hero who has to reckon and wrestle with the ugly legacy of his malevolent father (“Iron Man,” “Black Panther”), a secret, magical land most people on Earth don’t know about (shades of Wakanda), and many other recognizable superhero standards, including the hero who has abandoned his birthright for anonymity.

Continue reading ‘Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings’ Is Flawed But Has A Winning Spirit [Review] at The Playlist.

As the world enters a second year under the sway of COVID-19, it’s just about the last topic anyone wants to see featured in a new movie release. Hollywood has a history of taking advantage of lousy situations for the sake of a timely story, however. Why should 2021 be any different? 

READ MORE: ‘Lockdown’: Doug Liman’s Pandemic Thriller With Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller & More To Debut on HBO Max

“Locked Down,” previously titled “Lockdown” and the first of what will likely be many COVID/pandemic-themed films in the next few years, debuts in just two weeks on January 14 on HBO Max.

Continue reading ‘Locked Down’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway Stars in Doug Liman’s Rom-Com Heist Movie Set During COVID-19 Pandemic at The Playlist.

Sir Ben Kingsley is 75-years-old. But that doesn’t mean the aging actor can’t still star in a spy thriller where he has to seduce Monica Bellucci, right? And in the trailer for “Spider in the Web,” you’ll have no doubt believing that Kingsley is more than capable of doing the job.

As seen in the trailer, “Spider in the Web” follows Israeli Mossad agent Adereth (Kingsley) who is joined by a younger agent in the mission to uncover critical information about biological weapon sales between Middle Eastern countries.

Continue reading ‘Spider In The Web’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley & Monica Bellucci Star In New Middle Eastern Spy Thriller at The Playlist.

Thanks to classics like “The Silence of the Lambs” and “Seven,” film fans have developed a fascination with serial killer investigations in cinema. And it looks like the upcoming “Night Hunter” takes the best of both films in crafting its own crime thriller.

As seen in the trailer for “Night Hunter,” which used to be titled “Nomis,” the film follows a police officer played by Henry Cavill that is on the hunt for a man that abducts women.

Continue reading ‘Night Hunter’ Trailer: Henry Cavill, Alexandra Daddario & Ben Kingsley Do Their Best ‘Silence Of The Lambs’ In New Thriller at The Playlist.

“To Catch a Predator” was an investigative reality series that used young actors to lure child predators into a home so they could be arrested by law enforcement. It’s popular among TV watchers because of the stories these predators give and the overall cringe that comes from a predator being humiliated on national TV. Well, the new film “Nomis” shares the same basic premise as that reality series, except there are no cameras and humiliation.

Continue reading ‘Nomis’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley, Bearded Henry Cavill & Alexandra Daddario Catch Some Predators In New Thriller at The Playlist.

It’s hard to describe the upcoming EPIX series “Perpetual Grace, LTD.” in any sort of brevity. Sure, you could say that the series follows the attempt of two men to rob an older couple that runs a church. But then again, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

READ MORE: Netflix/BBC’s ‘Watership Down’ Is A Modern Take On A Classic Tale Hobbled By Terrible Animation [Review]

As seen in the trailer for the series, there’s so much more to this new drama than just the robbery that gets the plot moving.

Continue reading ‘Perpetual Grace, LTD.’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley Stars As A Holy Man With A Penchant For Violence In New Drama Series at The Playlist.

Would you have believed an epic tale of tyranny, betrayal, and talking rabbits would become such a beloved story nearly 50 years after its original publication? Author Richard Adams likely did not, but after nearly five decades, “Watership Down” has been continually adapted for generations of audiences. Teaming Netflix with BBC One, the latest retelling attempts to deliver the story to a new audience, utilizing modern technology and a stellar voice cast to help set it apart from the rest.

Continue reading Netflix/BBC’s ‘Watership Down’ Is A Modern Take On A Classic Tale Hobbled By Terrible Animation [Review] at The Playlist.

With recent remakes “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King” showing audiences how modern CGI can create photorealistic animals and tell a heartfelt story, it makes sense that Netflix and BBC would team up to adapt one of the best novels of the 20th century, “Watership Down.” The novel’s tale of a group of rabbits escaping their home and hoping to find a place to settle elsewhere is tailor-made for a great TV adaptation, utilizing modern technology.

Continue reading ‘Watership Down’ Trailer: James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, & More Lead This New Animated Adaptation at The Playlist.

Recent years have revealed the distressing fact that fascist ideologies are less dead and buried than once hoped, making it a fitting time for “Operation Finale,” a film directly concerning an attempt to symbolically turn the page from fascist atrocities, in the form of Israel’s 1960 abduction of Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) from his incognito second life in Argentina.

Eichmann was the most prominent Nazi to escape capture at the end of the war, neither taking his life like Hitler nor facing trial at Nuremberg.

Continue reading Oscar Issac & Ben Kingsley Shine In Uneven ‘Operation Finale’ [Review] at The Playlist.

The latest trailer for the film “Operation Finale” opens with one of the tensest shaving scenes that we’ve seen in quite some time. Oscar Isaac plays a man commissioned with finding Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann in Argentina and bringing him back to Israel for trial. The scene shows Isaac’s character using a straight razor to shave Eichmann, played by Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley, and you just are waiting for the chaos to ensue.

Continue reading ‘Operation Finale’ Trailer: Oscar Isaac Really Wants To Kill Ben Kingsley In The Nazi Hunting Thriller at The Playlist.

We’ve seen a handful of international trailers already for “Collide,” and to be honest, they haven’t been that impressive. But now comes the U.S. promo for the action flick, that adds more story and romance to what looks like, at best, a B-movie distraction.

READ MORE: Review: ‘Welcome To The Punch’ Is A Stylish & Smart British Spin In On The Action-Thriller

Starring Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, an amusingly go-for-broke Ben Kingsley, and a paycheck cashing Anthony Hopkins, the Eran Creevy (“Welcome To The Punch“) directed movie follows a young man, who has left the criminal life behind, sucked back into working for his old boss in order to help his girlfriend who needs a kidney transplant.

Continue reading Watch: Nicholas Hoult Drives For Love In New Trailer For ‘Collide’ With Felicity Jones at The Playlist.

James McAvoy, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult & Ben Kingsley To Voice New Netflix/BBC Animated 'Watership Down'

Continue reading James McAvoy, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult & Ben Kingsley To Voice New Netflix/BBC Animated ‘Watership Down’ at The Playlist.

Nicholas Hoult And Felicity Jones Floor It In New International Trailer For 'Collide'

Continue reading Nicholas Hoult And Felicity Jones Floor It In New International Trailer For ‘Collide’ at The Playlist.

A lavish technological spectacle, Disney‘s “The Jungle Book” pushes the capabilities of computer-generated imagery even further than the recent efforts of Pixar and the special-effects orgy of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” You’d never guess these jungles and plains were shot in a downtown Los Angeles warehouse, with the bare walls and floor later replaced with photo-realistic scenery and exquisitely animated animals.

Continue reading Review: Jon Favreau’s ‘The Jungle Book’ With Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, More at The Playlist.

Watch: Epic Super Bowl Trailer For 'The Jungle Book' With Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, And More

Continue reading Watch: Epic Super Bowl Trailer For ‘The Jungle Book’ With Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, And More at The Playlist.