Oddly shaped, leisurely paced, and perhaps resembling an episode of the non-existent “Ghostbusters” TV show had there been one, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is a curious film, out of time with modern editing rhythms. It’s atypical and unusual by today’s standards until you realize, ‘Oh, right, it’s a ‘Ghostbusters’ movie,’ already fitting into the oddball and unlikely genre of paranormal comedy. And, instead of trying to supercharge it in the way J.J.

Continue reading Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Review: Gil Kenan Crafts An Easygoing, Idiosyncratic Throwback Sequel at The Playlist.

Well, it didn’t take long for the new “Ghostbusters” to team up with the classic “Ghostbusters,” right? After “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” writer/director Jason Reitman handed off the franchise and seemingly went back to the world of humanistic comedies. But he didn’t leave it in the lurch and remains a co-writer, producer, and executive producer on the project. The newest edition in the franchise, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” is directed by Reitman’s writing partner on the first film, Gil Kenan, who is known for directing “City of Ember” (2008), the supernatural horror film “Poltergeist” (2015).

Continue reading ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Final Trailer Shows The Classic Team With The New Gang at The Playlist.

It seems that being afraid of no ghosts can literally save your life in the fifth and latest entry in the Ghostbusters franchise, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” The movie is a direct sequel to 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” which very famously handed the series “back to the fans,”   and is helmed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of  ‘Afterlife’ and director of “Monster House,” with a script from Kenan and Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air”).  

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

“Frozen Empire” catches up with the descendants of deceased original Ghostbuster, Egon Spengler, his daughter Callie Spengler (Carrie Coon, “The Leftovers,” “The Gilded Age”), and her children Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, “Stranger Things”) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace, Captain Marvel) have relocated to New York City alongside Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd).

Continue reading ‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’ Trailer: All The Classic Ghostbusters Assemble at The Playlist.

Another Wes Anderson movie, another stacked ensemble cast: such is the case for “Asteroid City,” the director’s latest. But Anderson fans will notice a regular of his conspicuously absent from his latest film: Bill Murray, who’s had parts in each of Anderson’s past nine movies. So why wasn’t Murray in “Asteroid City”? Well, he came down with COVID-19 just days before he was supposed to show up on set in Spain.

Continue reading ‘Asteroid City’: Bill Murray Is Actually In Wes Anderson’s Latest Film, Kind Of at The Playlist.

It’s been a little under a year since it was announced that Aziz Ansari’s feature film directorial debut, “Being Mortal,” experienced a production shutdown after sexual misconduct allegations were levied at star Bill Murray. At the time, it was revealed that Searchlight Pictures, the studio behind the production, was shutting the film down but allowing the filmmaker to find a new home for “Being Mortal.” Well, nearly a year later, it would appear that “Being Mortal” is likely dead. 

Continue reading Aziz Ansari’s ‘Being Mortal’ Scrapped & Won’t Be Finished Following Bill Murray Allegations [Report] at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Peyton Reed badly wants to make a “Star Wars” film. We know this because he’s already spent a lot of time directing Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars” spin-off series “The Mandalorian,” and because his new ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp’ film, ‘Quantumania,’ is essentially a big-budget “Star Wars” movie. That’s great for Reed because that’s clearly where his ambition and aspirations lie, but it’s bad for Marvel, Ant-Man, and the “Ant-Man” franchise because the strengths of that series— its humor, its modesty, its small-scale humanity—is largely lost in a big space epic which eschews its foundations for something bigger, but alienating and not very entertaining either.

Continue reading ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp Quantumania’ Review: Peyton Reed Tries To Square Peg ‘Star Wars’ Ambitions Into The ‘Ant-Man’ Franchise With Sub-Atomic Results at The Playlist.

Geena Davis‘s memoir, “Dying Of Politeness,” dropped earlier this month, and in it, the actress has plenty of stories from her rise to fame and subsequent career. But one of the best stories is one she told The New Yorker in a recent profile, about the career advice her “Tootsie” co-star Dustin Hoffman told her to ward off the sexual advances of other actors.

Continue reading Geena Davis Says She Once Rejected Jack Nicholson Using Advice She Received From Dustin Hoffman On ‘Tootsie’ Set at The Playlist.

2022 has been a good year for Keke Palmer. Not only is her film, “Nope,” a huge hit and being mentioned for possible awards consideration, but she also started working on the Aziz Ansari film, “Being Mortal,” which was expected to be a high-profile film for the actress. And using “was” isn’t a mistake, as the film was shuttered in the middle of production in April and dropped by Searchlight Pictures shortly thereafter.

Continue reading Keke Palmer Says ‘Being Mortal’ Would Need “A Major Rewrite” If Bill Murray Doesn’t Return To The Production at The Playlist.

Beloved comedian Bill Murray’s carefully constructed image of the mischievous uncle you’d love to have a drink with has really taken a beating lately. Following reports of alleged sexual assault on the set of Aziz Ansari’s film “Being Mortal”—which shut down production on the film, though the matter was legally settled, so there won’t be any other fallout, other than a public one—everyone seems to be coming out of the woodwork with a bad Bill Murray story.

Continue reading Seth Green Details Nasty Childhood Interaction With Bill Murray At ‘SNL’ That Left Him “Horrified” & In Tears at The Playlist.

Nearly six months ago, film fans were shocked to learn that production on Aziz Ansari’s directorial debut, “Being Mortal,” was shut down due to allegations of misconduct against Bill Murray. Shortly after the news broke, Murray came out and took responsibility for what he described as a joke that he thought was funny, but “it wasn’t taken that way.” Since then, production has yet to restart on the film, and people have been wondering when it might start up again.

Continue reading Bill Murray Reportedly Accused Of Sexual Assault During ‘Being Mortal’ Production, Which Led To Production Stoppage at The Playlist.

Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” isn’t so much a bad movie — though it’s certainly that — as an inexplicable one, a comedy/drama set in the Vietnam War that somehow believes it’s saying anything that hasn’t been said a million times already about that conflict, and far more skillfully. Its script feels like it was written in 1972 as a Donald Sutherland vehicle, shelved because it was too edgy, then dusted off last year and shot as-is. 

Continue reading ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ Review: Zac Efron Hitches A Ride To Vietnam In Peter Farrelly’s Shallow Dramedy [TIFF] at The Playlist.

What’s the furthest you’ve traveled to enjoy a drink with your friends? Across town? Across the country? Odds are that seaman John “Chick” Donohue has one-upped you. Back in 1968, Donohue embarked on an extraordinary odyssey: to lug a backpack of beer over to Vietnam, chop his way through the trees, and share a not-so-cold one with his childhood buddies on the frontline. Along the way, he saw jungle firefights, got mistaken for a CIA operative, and, as he was due to leave, found himself in the middle of the infamous Tet Offensive.

Continue reading ‘The Greatest Beer Run Ever’ Trailer: Zac Efron Stars In Boozy Vietnam Odyssey at The Playlist.

One of the bigger announcements at Comic-Con this weekend was Kevin Feige‘s explanation of how Marvel Studios‘s Phase 5 and Phase 6 programming would shake out. To the surprise of many, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” would be the official kickoff to Phase 5, moving the studio to what they’ve officially dubbed “The Multiverse Saga.” But while the first trailer for ‘Quantumania’ might’ve been a Comic-Con exclusive, we are able to provide a brief description of what we saw in the trailer.

Continue reading ‘Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania’ Trailer Description: Bill Murray Enters The Quantum Realm [Comic-Con] 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.

As culture evolves and accelerates in the age of social media and the culture wars rage on in the wake of this shift, there are two sets of older generations in the world today. One that feels that a changing “woke” world is something to fear, an oppression that one must combat, and those that realize the world has changed and they need to adjust to a changing era of empathy. And it’s a relief that 71-year-old Bill Murray seems to be squarely in the latter camp.

Continue reading Bill Murray Takes Ownership Of ‘Being Mortal’ Shutdown & Allegations: Admits He Did Something He “Thought Was Funny & Wasn’t Take That Way” at The Playlist.

Aziz Ansari (“Master of None“) and the Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures recently teamed up for a new medical drama called “Being Mortal” that would be Anzari’s feature film directorial debut. The cast includes himself alongside fellow comedy veterans Bill Murray (“Lost In Translation“) and Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy“), however, an issue has been raised behind the scenes, leading to filming being shut down by the studio.

Continue reading Searchlight Suspends Production On Aziz Ansari’s ‘Being Mortal’ After Complaint About Bill Murray at The Playlist.

The In Memoriam portion of the Oscars ceremony has been a time-honored tradition to remember those folks we have recently lost that have contributed to the world of cinema. It can be a more somber and sad part of the show, but this year producers attempted to inject a little more energy. Unfortunately, their efforts ended up getting the opposite effect.

Instead of a single person presenting, this year’s In Memoriam had three different people speaking on behalf of the departed alongside a live gospel performance.

Continue reading Oscars 2022: Watch The “In Memoriam” Segment Presented By Tyler Perry, Bill Murray & Jamie Lee Curtis at The Playlist.

After directing multiple episodes of his Netflix series “Master Of None,” including all of season three, comedian Aziz Ansari (“Parks & Rec“) is making his feature film directorial debut for Searchlight Pictures. The film is yet to be titled, but is being referred to for now as “Being Mortal.” Ansari will also take a role in the film alongside Bill Murray, who was previously announced, and now another strong comedic actor has joined the project.

Continue reading ‘Being Mortal’: Seth Rogen Set To Join Bill Murray In Aziz Ansari’s Directorial Debut at The Playlist.

With Robert Pattinson having a very successful launch to his newfound ‘Batman’ film career, it’s always fun to look back at the history of the character on film. Specifically, as recalled recently by Bill Murray, the history of Batman on the big screen could have had a very different beginning. 

READ MORE: ‘The Batman’: Matt Reeves Says Gotham City PD Spinoff Has “Evolved” Into An Arkham “Haunted House” Series

Speaking to Yahoo, Bill Murray confirmed that back in the early ‘80s, before Ivan Reitman and he teamed up to make “Ghostbusters,” the filmmaker had his eyes on Murray to play Batman in a comedic take on the Caped Crusader.

Continue reading Bill Murray Talked To Eddie Murphy In The ‘80s About Starring With Him In A ‘Batman’ Film By Ivan Reitman at The Playlist.

For several years now, Bill Murray (“The French Dispatch”) has been a good luck charm for director Wes Anderson, a perennial member of his troupe, but he’s a notoriously hard get. You need a killer script and an “in” to get him to read it. And well, it seems that comedian turned director Aziz Ansari has secured both. After directing several episodes of his Netflix series, “Master Of None,” including all of season three, he’ll make his feature film debut for Searchlight Pictures while taking a role alongside Murray, the studio just announced.

Continue reading ‘Being Mortal’: Bill Murray Stars In Aziz Ansari’s Feature Directorial Debut At Searchlight at The Playlist.

Back when Quibi was still a thing, it was announced that the Farrelly Brothers were teaming up with an all-star cast to bring “The Now” to the mobile streamer. Then Quibi died and the scraps were bought by Roku. And apparently, that included “The Now,” which is finally hitting the streaming service. 

READ MORE: Eddie Redmayne & Peter Farrelly Circling Political Tech Drama About Cambridge Analytica; Produced By The Russo Brothers

As seen in the trailer, “The Now” tells the story of a man who finds out his brother died by suicide.

Continue reading ‘The Now’ Trailer: Bill Murray & Dave Franco Star In The Farrelly Brothers’ New Roku Comedy at The Playlist.

You know it was bound to happen, right? With all the promotion of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” hitting, considering the film is arriving in two weeks, Sony was inevitably going to come out and show some of the original cast to drum up interest in the new sequel. And while the studio does show a little reservation, keeping a full reveal out of the trailer, there’s definitely enough that will make original “Ghostbusters” fans giddy.

Continue reading ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Final Trailer: New Footage Teases Nostalgia & Asks “Have You Missed Us?” at The Playlist.

Bill Murray is no stranger to franchise films. He’s appeared in multiple “Ghostbusters” films, including the upcoming reboot-quel that is scheduled to arrive next month, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” He’s also done a “Charlie’s Angels” film and multiple “Zombieland” features. And now, it appears Murray is venturing into the Marvel Cinematic Universe for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” But don’t get excited for a nine-film deal with Marvel Studios because that isn’t happening.

Continue reading Bill Murray Confirms Appearance In ‘Ant-Man 3’ But Doesn’t See Another Comic Book Film In His Future at The Playlist.

While many are still waiting to watch director Wes Anderson‘s October release “The French Dispatch,” the filmmaker is already assembling a cast for his next pic, an untitled film reportedly heading into production this week in Spain.

READ MORE: ‘The French Dispatch’: Wes Anderson’s Latest Premieres At Cannes Then Set For October U.S. Release

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed two more additions to the secretive film’s cast.

Continue reading Wes Anderson Adds Rupert Friend & Jason Schwartzman To Latest Film: Begins Shooting This Week In Spain at The Playlist.