Writer-creator Joe Barton is probably best known for his work on series such as “Girl/Haji” and “The Lazarus Project,” but those in the know, know he’s almost as famous for all the things he hasn’t made but has been tapped to create. One of the hottest screenwriters in the U.K. at the moment, Barton was once tapped to be the showrunner of the Matt Reeves’ “Gotham PD” Batman spin-off series that never came to pass, and he was one of the writers invited to pitch on the fourth season of “True Detective.” He’s written scripts for Michael Bay, has an “Amadeus” TV series in the works, and is also the writer of an untitled “Cloverfield” sequel that Babak Anvari is supposed to direct.

Continue reading ‘Black Doves’ Trailer: Keira Knightley & Ben Whishaw Star In A New Netflix Spy Thriller From Joe Barton at The Playlist.

Get ready for a new “Paddington” adventure. The third installment, “Paddington In Peru” sees director Dougal Wilson taking over for “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” helmer Paul King. The latter isn’t entirely stepping away from the beloved franchise, crafting the film’s story with Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton and staying on board as an executive producer.

“We’ve tried to keep as much of the feeling, heart and fun of the other ‘Paddington’ films, but also re-introduce fans to Paddington’s home country, Peru, which turns out to be a great place for him and the Browns to have an amazing adventure lost in the jungle,” Wilson, told People this week.

Continue reading ‘Paddington In Peru’ Trailer:  Everyone’s Favorite Charming Bear Returns In January 2025 at The Playlist.

Who doesn’t love Paddington? He’s adorable and sweet. But damn, this bear is always finding himself on some sort of adventure that is dangerous. Can’t he just take a breather occasionally? As you might expect from the title, “Paddington in Peru,” is yet another film starring the bear that puts him on another perilous journey. 

While the teaser doesn’t do much to tell the plot of “Paddington in Peru,” it does show just why everyone seems to love the ‘Paddington’ franchise.

Continue reading ‘Paddington In Peru’ Teaser Trailer: Everyone’s Favorite Bear Returns To Theaters January 2025 at The Playlist.

CANNES – Eduard Limonov was a complicated man. He was a poet, a novelist, and a political activist; at one point, a Russian dissident who lived in New York and Paris; he returned to his homeland to lead a fascist party that supported a return to an ideology closer to that of the former Soviet Union. His story is so expansive it could likely be chronicled in a 10-hour mini-series and still miss out on an outlandish or surprising period in his life.

Continue reading ‘Limonov. The Ballad’: Ben Whishaw Channels The Controversial Punk Russian Poet [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Will “Black Doves” be Netflix‘s answer to James Bond and John Le Carré? Variety reports that Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire join Keira Knightley on the cast of the streamer’s upcoming spy series, which sounds like perfect fare for those who love shaken martinis and suave espionage in equal measure.

READ MORE: ‘The Lazarus Project’ TV Review: Joe Barton’s Clever Sci-Fi Import Puts A New Spin On An Old Concept

Set in Christmastime London, the spy thriller follows Knightley’s Helen Webb, a politician’s wife and professional spy who’s spent years passing on her husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for.

Continue reading ‘Black Doves’: Ben Whishaw & Sarah Lancashire Join Keira Knightley On Joe Barton’s Spy Series For Netflix at The Playlist.

Most people know Alice Englert as the daughter of the great New Zealand auteur Jane Campion. And some may know her as an actress from films like “Them That Follow,” “Body Brokers,” and Campion‘s “The Power Of The Dog.” But Englert is a filmmaker, too, and her feature debut, “Bad Behavior,” is ready for its theatrical release in New Zealand next month.

Continue reading ‘Bad Behavior’ Trailer: Jennifer Connelly Stars As A Former Child Actor In Crisis In Alice Englert’s Feature Debut at The Playlist.

When it comes to “Passages,” Ira Sachs’ witty, wise and very sexy Parisian drama, it all started with Franz Rogowski, who plays the film’s self-absorbed film director, Tomas. “I had seen Michael Haneke’s “Happy End” starring Franz,” remembers Sachs, the auteur of richly textured, grown-up gems such as “Love is Strange,” “Little Men” and “Keep the Lights On,” recently joining me for an interview about his latest, opening in theaters this week.

Continue reading ‘Passages’: Ira Sachs On His New Film’s NC-17 Rating, The Movie’s Intimate Sex Scenes & Finding Pleasure In Men Behaving Badly [Interview] at The Playlist.

An NC-17 rating for a film may as well be a scarlet letter branded on it before release, limiting its audiences and causing certain theaters not to carry it at all. But that branding won’t stop MUBI and Ira Sachs from debuting “Passages,” Sachs’ latest, in theaters next month. Deadline reports the director and distributor will move ahead with their release schedule as planned despite the MPA giving the film an NC-17.

Continue reading ‘Passages’: MUBI Still Plans To Release Ira Sachs’ Latest Film Theatrically Despite NC-17 Rating at The Playlist.

Our review from Sundance put it perfectly in its opening line. Filmmaker “Ira Sachs prefers relationships of the doomed variety.” Throughout the indie writer/director’s career, Sachs has— in films like “Love Is Strange,” “Little Men,” “Keep the Lights On” and especially in his debut, “The Delta”—explored the difficulties and traumas of love and how the best intentions can go sour.

Continue reading ‘Passages’ Trailer: Ira Sachs New Love Triangle Stars Adèle Exarchopoulos, Franz Rogowski & Ben Whishaw at The Playlist.

Of all the buzzy films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, like “Past Lives,” “Eileen,” and the Grand Jury Prize winner “A Thousand And One,” Ira Sachs‘ “Passages” is undoubtedly the sexiest. And by year’s end, it may rank higher than those other three on critics’ top 10 lists for 2023.

Continue reading ‘Passages’ Teaser: Ira Sachs’ Sexy Sundance Drama With Ben Whishaw, Franz Rogowski & Adéle Exarchopoulous Arrives In Theaters This August at The Playlist.

Ira Sachs prefers relationships of the doomed variety — tempestuous passions torn asunder, sometimes by external forces like capitalism, which complicated the search for a home through New York’s cutthroat real estate market in “Love Is Strange” and “Little Men.” His latest film — the sexy, frustrating, loose-yet-compact, altogether irresistible three-hander “Passages” — also concerns property contracts and a homeless protagonist. However, this one’s got nobody but himself to blame for that predicament, fluent as he is in the same toxic strain of amour fou that previously perfumed the air in “Keep the Lights On” and especially Sachs’ debut, “The Delta.” As in that film — also pitched at the admirably humble quotidian scale Sachs hasn’t felt the need to exceed in more than a quarter decade — “Passages” follows a bisexual chaos agent so wrapped up in his own narcissism that he can’t see where his self-exploration ends and insensitivity to those around him begins.

Continue reading ‘Passages’ Review: Franz Rogowski, Adèle Exarchopoulos & Ben Whishaw Star In Ira Sachs’ Irresistible Love Triangle [Sundance] at The Playlist.

Actor-turned-filmmaker Alice Englert’s “Bad Behaviour” is a dirty bomb of a movie, and it almost seems intentionally devised to keep the viewer off-balance. What at first appears a rather obvious send-up of self-help culture turns into a take-no-prisoners assault on narrative expectations and norms, all the while painting a pointed portrait of a truly complicated protagonist, the kind of character whose motivations and intentions are so slippery, you can barely make up your mind about her before she gives you a reason to change it again.

Continue reading ‘Bad Behaviour’ Review: Jennifer Connelly Is Magnificent In Alice Englert’s Gleefully Cynical Feature Debut [Sundance] at The Playlist.

If you look at “Women Talking” on paper, it automatically piques interest. The film is directed by Sarah Polley, produced by Brad Pitt, and stars Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand. Usually, when the material and people involved look amazing there’s a little hint of skepticism from audiences as they question, “Will this or can this actually be as good as we think it will be?” Thankfully, “Women Talking” is a film that does meet that expectation.

Continue reading ‘Women Talking’ Exclusive Clip: Ben Whishaw & Rooney Mara’s Chemistry Shines In Sarah Polley’s Harrowing Film at The Playlist.

You’re not going to find Ben Whishaw in a fashion photo spread these days. He’s not one to crash a red carpet or find a way to get a DeuxMoi mention either. No, Whishaw just keeps doing his thing and crushing it. Great role after great role. Superb performance after superb performance. He’s already an Emmy, Golden Globe, and two-time BAFTA Award winner, and, just last month, he took home a Gotham Award (in a very competitive field) for his role in the acclaimed BBC and AMC series “This is Going to Hurt.” Oh, and he earned a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for that as well.

Continue reading Ben Whishaw’s Amazing Year Continues With ‘Women Talking’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave? That’s the central question posed by director Sarah Polley’s new film, “Women Talking,” which features an all-star cast. Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, “Women Talking” centers on the aftermath of violence and manipulation. The women of a religious Mennonite community learn that they have been systematically raped over months by the men in their community, using a form of ether that would make them confused and delirious when they awoke the following day, bruised, battered, and bleeding.

Continue reading ‘Women Talking’ Trailer: Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley & More Lead Sarah Polley’s New Drama at The Playlist.

The Oscar race officially started after the Telluride Film Festival, which took place early last month. While films like Sam Mendes’ “Empire Of Light” created a lot of buzz, perhaps no film had people talking like Sarah Polley’s upcoming drama, “Women Talking” (read our review). For one, the film is jam-packed with stars who were likely dying to appear in a movie by the Academy Award-nominated Polley, a favorite among filmmakers and actors.

Continue reading ‘Women Talking’ Trailer: Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley & Claire Foy Lead Sarah Polley’s New Acclaimed Drama at The Playlist.

There will be some heartwarming news in the Oscar race for Supporting Actor in 2023. Barring some unforeseen event, acclaimed actor Brendan Gleeson should finally land an Academy Award nomination for his performance in “The Banshees of Inisherin.” And, the comeback story of the year, Ke Huy Quan, is likely to stand right beside him for his work in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” The other three nominees in this category are honestly a coin flip.

Continue reading Best Supporting Actor Oscars 2023 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

It’s NYFF day. OK, yes, earlier today, we were honored to premiere the trailer for the 60th New York Film Festival. Following that update, we got word about NYFF’s Spotlight section and new world premieres added to the festival, including Maria Schrader‘s drama “She Said,” starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, detailing the New York Times investigation that uncovered decades of sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood.

Continue reading First Look: Sarah Polley’s ‘Women Talking’ Starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand & More at The Playlist.

Alice Englert, daughter of director Jane Campion, has steadily built a reputation as an actress over the past ten years with “Ginger & Rosa,” “Top Of The Lake,” and elsewhere. And now she’ll try her hand at directing with her feature debut, “Bad Behavior.”

READ MORE: ‘This Is Going To Hurt’: Ben Whishaw Leads A New Medical Dramedy On AMC+

Deadline reports that Englert will write, star in, and direct the new film, set to begin production in New Zealand soon.

Continue reading ‘Bad Behavior’: Jennifer Connelly & Ben Whishaw To Star In Alice Englert’s Directorial Debut at The Playlist.

What is it really like to be a doctor? The new series “This Is Going to Hurt” explores the trials, tribulations, and glimpses of hope in practitioners’ lives that most patients will never see. Set in a London hospital, ‘Hurt’ is based on Adam Kay’s memoir of the same name. Kay — who became a doctor himself — opens readers’ eyes to the hidden aspects of the system.

Continue reading ‘This Is Going To Hurt’ Trailer: Ben Whishaw Leads A New Medical Drademy For AMC+ at The Playlist.

It’s unclear what the James Bond film franchise is going to look like after “No Time to Die.” We know Daniel Craig is departing the role, but we’re not sure if the series will have another soft reboot or if the version of the character created by Craig will continue on with another actor in the role. But if it’s up to actor Ben Whishaw, who plays Q in the most recent Bond iteration, the franchise would undergo a massive overhaul.

Continue reading Ben Whishaw Thinks The James Bond Franchise Is Ready For A “Radical” Shift To Avoid Becoming A “Museum Piece” at The Playlist.

When “Surge” debuted at Sundance in January (a full nine months before its release) the Ben Whishaw-starring thriller seemed like a surefire success—a modern-day “Taxi Driver” or realistic “Joker.” But this week, the film has been dumped on VOD with a little advertisement, promotion, or reviews. With such an appealing star, genre, and set-up, how can this be?

READ MORE: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

Well, maybe because the filmmakers—director Aneil Karia, writers Rupert Jones and Rita Kalnejais—have completely botched the premise.

Continue reading ‘Surge’ With Ben Whishaw Is An Unempathetic, Exploitative Freakshow About Mental Health [Review] at The Playlist.

Back in December, it was announced that Frances McDormand (who basically only appears in Oscar-nominated films) is set to join the upcoming film, “Women Talking,” from director Sarah Polley. As if it isn’t exciting enough to have McDormand and Polley working together on a new film, the news was made even sweeter today as the rest of the main cast was announced, featuring some truly great talents.

Continue reading ‘Women Talking’: Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy & More Join Frances McDormand In Sarah Polley’s New Feature at The Playlist.

[Spoiler warning: Read this after watching the season finale.]

When FX’s “Fargo” premiered back in September, FX only sent out the first nine episodes of an 11-episode season to press, leaving critics hanging as to the resolution of this violent saga. It wasn’t just to reduce spoilers or build excitement—the final two episodes of this chapter weren’t filmed until after the pandemic lockdown changed the industry.

Continue reading ‘Fargo’ Ends Its Fourth Season With An Explosive Pair Of Episodes at The Playlist.

One of the better developments in the era of peak television has been that of the non-sequential season orders. Gone are the days where a television network would crank out season after season of a popular show. This process often led to diminishing returns as the creators found themselves struggling to maintain their pace. Instead, if there’s mutual interest in continuing a show between network and creator, the new default gives the creator time to finish at their own pace.

Continue reading ‘Fargo’ Teaser: Two Crime Families, Only One Midwest at The Playlist.