Looking back on Seth Rogen‘s earlier career, did anyone think he’d be part of a cast of a Best Picture nominee like “The Fabelmans“? I mean, sure, yeah: Rogen’s proven repeatedly that he has the acting and writing chops to be taken seriously in the movie industry. For every forgettable comedy like “Observe And Report” (or raunchy one like “Pineapple Express“), Rogen has also been part of estimable, all-time classics, like his acting debut “Freaks And Geeks” or 2007’s “Superbad.”

READ MORE: Seth Rogen To Write, Direct & Star In New Apple TV+ Comedy Series About A Hollywood Studio

But leave it to Rogen to throw down the gauntlet.

Continue reading Seth Rogen On ‘Superbad’: “No One’s Made A Good High School Movie Since Then” at The Playlist.

The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were handed out in a ceremony Saturday afternoon in Santa Monica, Ca. Hosted for the second year in a row by Aubrey Plaza, who began the night with a hilarious yet poignant skit about how Hollywood and the film industry has always sucked the lives out of its workers, both today and in the past.

READ MORE: Oscars 2020 Predictions: Joaquin Phoenix, Laura Dern and, oh yeah, “Parasite”

Plaza also mocked the state of independent film in light of streaming services, “Scorsese is doing films for Netflix, Sandler is doing dramas!” the host joked before going out on stage to sing a rendition of Judy Garland’s “Get Happy.” She later parodied “The Lighthouse” with Michael Shannon as Willem Dafoe’s character (honestly, we could watch a prequel with Shannon and Dafoe as brothers or something).

Continue reading Spirit Awards 2020: ‘The Farewell’ Wins Best Feature [Full Winners List] at The Playlist.

The Writers Guild of America announced the remaining nominees for their 2020 awards and despite a number of key films being ineligible, the screenplays selected turned out to be more than worthy of the honor.  The WGA Awards’ Original Screenplay category was led by “1917,” “Booksmart,” “Knives Out,” “Marriage Story” and “Parasite.”  The Adapted Screenplay field features “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker” and “Little Women.” 

Screenplays that were not eligible because the writers are not members of the WGA included last night’s Golden Globe winner for Best Screenplay, “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” by Quentin Tarantino, “Pain and Glory” by Pedro Almodovar and “The Farewell” by Lulu Wang, among others. 

Continue reading ‘Knives Out,’ ‘Parasite’ & ‘Little Women’ Earn 2020 WGA Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

Every year, I have a ton of Top 10s that fly across my desk. Many of our writers love to share their opinions on the greatest films of the past year. And yes, we publish quite a few, even if many of them share the same basic choices. We even share some lists from other publications that we feel are well-thought-out and interesting. But coming in right in the nick of time, former leader of the free world, Barack Obama, has turned in his list of the best TV and Movies of 2019 and shockingly, his might be the most well-rounded of them all.

Continue reading Barack Obama’s Best Films & TV Of 2019 Includes Some Sleeper Picks Like ‘Ash Is Purest White,’ ‘Diane,’ ‘Transit’ & More at The Playlist.

If my top 75 films of the decade list demonstrated anything it’s that I’m a sucker for cinema that sticks with you.  That’s what made 2019 individually a hard year to pull a top 10 for.  It’s not that there weren’t good films, it’s that as well made as many of them were, they didn’t necessarily feel like all-timers.  Well, except for “Parasite,” of course.

On the other hand, “1917,” “Marriage Story,” “The Irishman,” “Little Women,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Knives Out,” just to name a few, are all well-acted and smartly crafted pieces of cinema, but will they demand another viewing just a few years from now?

Continue reading Gregory Ellwood’s Top 10 Of 2019: ‘Parasite,’ ‘I Lost My Body,’ ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.

Happy Holidays to you and yours. This season brings forth time-honored traditions of attempting to take it easy at work to spend time with loved ones, and compiling the year-end “Best Of” list and debate online whether or not it’s been a good year for movies.

READ MORE: The 100 Best Films Of The Decade

I’m speaking generally, of course. There are two firmly-held beliefs I have when it comes to making a “Best Of” list that you could tattoo on my forehead, carve on my tombstone, etc.

Continue reading Ryan Oliver’s Top 25 Films of 2019 [Video] at The Playlist.

Everything-is-epic culture has transformed film trailers over the last few years. What used to be a commercial for a movie has now changed into a mini-event. Now, we get the teaser, the teaser for the teaser, the teaser trailer, the full trailer, the NSFW trailer, and the extended trailer. But here, we are paradoxically, hypocritically, contradictorily complaining about marketing, but also celebrating the art that’s sometimes part of it—at least the non-promotional aspect of it, if you can separate that from the product.

Continue reading The Best Movie Trailers Of 2019 at The Playlist.

In the Always On™ age, first impressions are everything. When a movie receives its Sundance premiere in January— but often won’t reach audiences until many months later— reviews are important. However, posters are arguably just as crucial. If you’ve got a good poster, your audience is halfway into purchasing tickets. Some one-sheets are elusive, remembering that simplicity is key and bright colors are good at distracting contemporary viewers with a short attention span.

Continue reading Best Movie Posters Of 2019 at The Playlist.

So here we are suddenly, after all that fuss, in December — the nursing home of the year — looking back with wistfulness, regret and not a little self-mythologizing at the friends we made and betrayed, the tall tales we’ve heard and the, um, houses we’ve painted in the year of our Lord 2019. That’s right, I am comparing the compilation of The Playlist’s Best Films of 2019 list to the mental reckoning of a lonely, aging mob hitman who may or may not have been involved with the death of Jimmy Hoffa.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2019 at The Playlist.

Delta Airlines realized they had made a very stupid mistake and said it will restore the full, very R-rated cuts of both “Booksmart” and “Rocketman,” including the same-sex love scenes in both movies.

READ MORE: ‘Booksmart’ Director & Stars Are Shocked By Airline’s Censorship Of A Lesbian Scene From The Film

Earlier this week it was reported that the airline had censored a key sex scene in “Booksmart” involving two female characters, after a fan tweeted out the information to the film’s director, Olivia Wilde.

Continue reading Delta Airlines Comes To Its Senses, Will Restore Same-Sex Love Scenes From ‘Booksmart’ And ‘Rocketman’ at The Playlist.

“Booksmart” definitely earns its R-rating. There’s no denying that. That being said, the film is far less graphic than many other comedy films, particularly when it comes to sexual content. However, according to social media and the film’s director Olivia Wilde, “Booksmart” is being censored on airplanes and the scene that is being deemed too graphic seems to point out a blatant double-standard.

According to reports, the scene in question features two female characters at a party engaging in an intimate sex scene.

Continue reading ‘Booksmart’ Director & Stars Are Shocked By Airline’s Censorship Of A Lesbian Scene From The Film at The Playlist.

After this year’s SXSW, there were two comedies that seemingly rose above the rest as films that would likely be big hits for their studios — “Booksmart” and “Good Boys.” Interestingly, both had very similar plots, as groups of friends go on a madcap adventure in hopes of arriving at a party and making out with someone. But with both films already released in theaters, the box office results for the two films are pretty far apart.

Continue reading Olivia Wilde Talks Disappointing ‘Booksmart’ Box Office & Says “People Are More Accustomed To Male-Dominated Comedies” at The Playlist.

Annapurna started off in 2011 as a mechanism for Megan Ellison, daughter of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, to invest in and produce films she felt passionate about. Film such as “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Her,” “American Hustle,” “Foxcatcher,” “The Master,” “Sausage Party” and “Spring Breakers,” among others.  Not all of them were financial successes, but enough were.  And they led to a slew of Oscar nominations including four Best Picture nominations.  

Continue reading Can Annapurna Survive Its Current Financial Woes And Avoid Bankruptcy? at The Playlist.

OK, so we’re in June and basically, we’re at the midway point of 2019. What’s the year like been so far for the cinema? Well, if you’re paying attention to Film Twitter, at this very moment, you will find a lot of writers justifiably griping about 2019’s summer movie season after bombs and flubs like “Dark Phoenix,” “Men In Black: International,” “Godzilla: King Of The Monsters” and the like, but one, barely-even-started season of blockbuster, a year does not make.

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2019… So Far at The Playlist.

As expected, Legendary’s latest film in its Monsterverse, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” trampled the weekend box office competition. Unfortunately, for the studio, the skyscraper-sized lizard didn’t have quite the roar as was expected.

In its opening weekend at the box office, ‘King of the Monsters’ earned an estimated $49 million domestically, which earned the film the top spot (narrowly beating last weekend’s champ – “Aladdin,” which earned $44.5 million in its second weekend).

Continue reading ‘Godzilla 2’ Tramples Box Office Competition But Isn’t Nearly As King-Sized As Expected at The Playlist.

Last weekend’s box office was dominated by Disney’s “Aladdin” remake, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” and “Avengers: Endgame.” All three have the support of a major studio, at least one massive A-list star, and a popular franchise to back them up. And thus, all three have done very well financially. But even with those three leading the domestic top 10, the conversation surrounding the Memorial Day Weekend box office seems to revolve around indie comedy “Booksmart.” More specifically, why the film seemed to “fail” and has now sparked a cultural debate amongst film fans.

Continue reading Sorry Folks, ‘Booksmart’ Was Set Up For Box Office Disappointment & Politicizing It Isn’t Helping at The Playlist.

High school is over, college might as well start tomorrow, and tonight is the last shot for the high school seniors of “Booksmart,” (2019) “Superbad” (2007), and “Can’t Hardly Wait” (1998) to ace their social lives. That’s the eternally appealing premise of this week’s Be Reel category.

READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 35 Films You Shouldn’t Miss

In all cases, two friends (Amy & Molly; Seth & Evan; Preston & Denise) stand on the precipice of adulthood, reconciling mistakes, taking stock of what they’ve achieved, deciding who needs to hear their feelings, and keeping in some friendship-threatening secrets.

Continue reading High School Seniors Shoot Their Shot In ‘Booksmart,’ ‘Superbad’ & ‘Can’t Hardly Wait’ [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.

It was a packed Memorial Day weekend for film— both theatrically and streaming—and we attempt to cover most of it on this week’s iteration of The Playlist Podcast.

READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 35 Films You Shouldn’t Miss

On this episode, Jenny Nulf (Director of Programming, Austin Asian American Film Festival) returns to the show to help navigate through the minefield of titles that came out over the holiday weekend.

Continue reading The ‘Booksmart’ Box Office Controversy, ‘The Perfection,’ ‘Brightburn’ & Much More [Podcast] at The Playlist.

Disney may rule the film industry and control most major franchises that you know and love, but that doesn’t mean the studio is perfect. Every now and then, the Mouse House releases a stinker at the box office, proving that even with all the money in the world and the most recognizable IP, Disney is flawed, just like any other studio. We saw that earlier this year, when the studio released the live-action “Dumbo,” which in just about two months of release, has only grossed $113 million domestically.

Continue reading ‘Aladdin’ Grants Disney’s Box Office Wishes As ‘Brightburn’ & ‘Booksmart’ Disappoint During Holiday Weekend at The Playlist.

“You can tell so many different types of stories in so many different genres; you don’t have to pick one thing. I think we have to allow ourselves as human beings to experience so many different things and try out all different kind of dimensions of our personalities and I think as artists, it’s really important to do that too” expressed “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde as she spoke on how to avoid losing herself to a singular vision – a theme very present in her directorial debut.

Continue reading ‘Booksmart’ Director Olivia Wilde Reveals Filmmaking Lessons Learned From Her Acclaimed Directorial Debut [Video] at The Playlist.

Olivia Wilde has been acting in film and television for over two decades. Each role she embraces, she does so with the dexterity of somebody with experience years beyond what her filmography suggests on paper. And her passion and artistry extend further than acting. Aside from her well-known activism work, Wilde is an acclaimed producer of both topical documentaries (“Fear Us Women“) and indie features (“Meadowland“).

Continue reading Olivia Wilde & The Cast Of ‘Booksmart’ On Teen Film Inspiration, Creating Chemistry & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

The final R-rated trailer has been released for Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart,” a coming-of-age comedy about two over-achieving high school students who decide to cram all the fun they missed while studying into one wild night. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein star as the straight-A students who have sacrificed parties for grades… until they realize that their rowdy classmates also ended up in good schools.

Continue reading ‘Booksmart’ NSFW Trailer: The Overachieving Teens Of Olivia Wilde’s Comedy Get Straight As, But Give Zero F*cks at The Playlist.

Comedy, like most film genres, occasionally needs a kick in the pants. Historically, there have been films that have changed the landscape of the genre, hurtling it in new directions. Films like “Animal House,” “Airplane!,” “Caddyshack,” “Old School,” and more recently, “Superbad” have all given the comedy genre a much-needed shot in the arm, twisting the genre in new ways and expanding the scope in the process.

Continue reading ‘Booksmart’: Hype Yourself Up By Watching The First 6 Minutes Of One Of The Best Comedies Of The Year at The Playlist.

Continue reading Olivia Wilde: Society Had To Catch Up With What ‘Booksmart’ Celebrates [Interview] at The Playlist.

Thanks to Marvel and the ‘Avengers’ films, summer blockbuster season starts in April now, so technically, our summer movie preview is late. That’s ok. This summer is stacked, as usual, and that does not even account for the upcoming Cannes Film Festival which will have plenty of arthouse blockbusters premieres and mainstream movies like the new Quentin Tarantino film. Yes, summer 2019 is jam-packed. There are all kinds of blockbusters, indies, arthouse films, horror movies—many of which we’ve already covered here— and more.

Continue reading Summer Movie Preview: 35 Films You Shouldn’t Miss at The Playlist.