All astronaut movies about losing your mind in the lonely, alienating depths of space essentially harken back, more or less, to Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” in 1972 (though yes, the novel and several others covered this ground, too). The premise, adopted in dozens of films since Steven Soderbergh’s “Solaris” remake, James Gray’s “Ad Astra,” and the recent Adam Sandler vehicle “Spaceman,” is practically its own sub-genre at this point.

Continue reading ‘Slingshot’ Review: Casey Affleck Loses His Mind In Reality-Warping Paranoia Space Thriller at The Playlist.

A crime thriller starring Matt Damon, reuniting him with his “The Bourne Identity” filmmaker Doug Liman, and de facto little brother Casey Affleck, should be a cause for celebration, or at least a team-up of much anticipation. But the bickering, buddy cop-dynamics of “The Instigators” is a non-starter from the jump, a painfully dire, tiresome, mismatched robbers comedy—the term used as lightly as possible— that cannot remotely be salvaged despite all the acting firepower within it.

Continue reading ‘The Instigators’ Review: Matt Damon & Casey Affleck Star In Doug Liman’s Painfully Dire Crime Comedy Misfire at The Playlist.

Known for 2003’s “Evil” and the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s short story “1408,” Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström follows up 2023’s “Stockholm Bloodbath,” with his new sci-fi film “Slingshot.” The film stars the notable pair of Laurence Fishburne and Casey Affleck, two famous actors who have never been paired up together like this before.

Continue reading ‘Slingshot’ Trailer: Casey Affleck & Laurence Fishburne Star In A New Haunting Space Film at The Playlist.

Doug Liman is a director known for many things, but one of them, most notably here, is his unique and thrilling action flicks. Liman is a master at taking the most straightforward concept, putting random celebrities in it, and making it gold. In “The Instigators,” this seems no different.

READ MORE: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch 

“The Instigators” seems to have it all. Two big stars, Casey Affleck and Matt Damon, and loads of inspiration—at least, according to Affleck, who has said it is inspired by films such as “Sundance Kid,” “Butch Cassidy,” and “Midnight Run.” To put a pin on what movie you’re in for, you will see Affleck and Damon, two people hired for a heist that will suddenly go wrong, and their relationship will change from frenemies to friends, with Damon becoming a desperate father named Rory.

Continue reading ‘The Instigators’ Trailer: Matt Damon & Casey Affleck Star In Doug Liman’s 2nd 2024 Film Coming In August at The Playlist.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Casey Affleck says that “Midnight Run” served as his inspiration for writing a brand new Boston-based heist film called “The Instigators.” This news comes fresh off the heels of both Affleck and Matt Damon playing military men in last year’s global phenomenon “Oppenheimer.”

The film is co-written by Affleck and features the two going back to their Boston origins.

Continue reading First Look: Matt Damon & Casey Affleck Star In Doug Liman’s ‘The Instigators’ Due In August at The Playlist.

Starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina, and Noah Jupe, “Dreamin’ Wild” is a musical biography film that asks the question, “What if your dreams came true three decades later?” set against music, love, family, and guilt. 

Dreamin’ Wild was the title of an album Donnie and Joe Emerson recorded when they were teens that did not garner commercial success. Thirty years later, however, the Emerson duo learns that the album has reached and been embraced by a new generation.

Continue reading ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Contest: Win A Copy Of The Acclaimed Music Indie Starring Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina & More at The Playlist.

The story of “Dreamin’ Wild” is a pretty damn fascinating one beyond its terrific filmmaker (Bill Pohlad) and its excellent cast (led by Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel, to name just a few). In short, Light In The Attic, a fantastic Seattle record label that unearths undiscovered gems, did just that with Donnie and Joe Emerson. Teenage boys with dreams of rock stardom, they self-released Dreamin’ Wild in 1979, a bedroom-made album of rock, pop jams, raw funk, and yacht rock, and of course, no one really noticed; it fell into obscurity, and they went on with their “normal” adult lives.

Continue reading ‘Dreamin Wild’:  Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel & More Star In The Story Of Forgotten & Rediscovered Teen Rockers at The Playlist.

On the latest episode of the “Team Deakins” podcast, hosted by legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, Casey Affleck let it slip that he’s currently prepping for a new directorial project. And while Affleck didn’t divulge any ideas on the upcoming third film, it’s clear from his conversation with Deakins that it’ll be similar to 2010’s “I’m Not There” and 2019’s “Light Of My Life.” That is, it’ll be a more Affleck makes for his artistic fulfillment more than commercial success.

Continue reading Casey Affleck Has Another Directing Project On The Way, And He’ll Turn Down Big Acting Roles To Make It at The Playlist.

Doug Liman is working hard right now on his “Road House” remake with Jake Gyllenhaal for Amazon. But after that, he enters the world of Apple Original Films for his next feature. Apple announced today that Liman’s next film will be “The Instigators,” which sees the director reteam with “The Bourne Identity” lead Matt Damon.

Continue reading ‘The Instigators’: Apple Original Films Lands Doug Liman’s Next Film With Matt Damon & Casey Affleck To Star at The Playlist.

Isabel May may be a newcomer to Hollywood, but she’s enjoying breakout success on Taylor Sheridan‘s “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883.” Now she’ll star alongside Casey Affleck in “The Smack,” an upcoming indie heist thriller from director David M. Rosenthal.

READ MORE: Isabel May Talks About Her ‘1883’ Experience, ‘Yellowstone’ & More [Bingeworthy Podcast]

The Hollywood Reporter has all the scoop on the upcoming film.

Continue reading ‘The Smack’: Casey Affleck & ‘1883’ Star Isabel May To Star In New Indie Heist Thriller at The Playlist.

Lightning strikes twice for filmmaker Bill Pohlad in his sophomore feature “Dreamin’ Wild.” The producer-turned-writer-director follows up the promise of his bifurcated Brian Wilson biopic “Love & Mercy” with another moving tale of personal and artistic redemption. His recounting of Donnie and Joe Emerson’s resurgence over three decades after the release of their only album captures not just musicians but also something of the quality of the music itself.

Continue reading ‘Dreamin’ Wild’ Review: Bill Pohlad’s Emerson Brothers Tale Is The Cure For The Conventional Music Biopic [Venice] at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk“) is returning to the WWII genre with the biopic “Oppenheimer.” The film focuses on the group of scientists on the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb for the American military that was unleashed upon Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The event ended the Pacific Campaign of the war as The Empire of Japan surrendered in the wake of the bombing.

Continue reading ‘Oppenheimer’: Casey Affleck Joins Christopher Nolan’s Atomic Bomb Drama After Being Spotted On Set at The Playlist.

Casey Affleck hasn’t been completely missing from films over the past several years, but you would really have to hunt down his movies to see them. Since the controversy arose with allegations of inappropriate misconduct on the set of “I’m Still Here,” that (re)surfaced after the release of “Manchester By The Sea,” Affleck has taken on smaller roles in indie films and lower-profile features. Well, his upcoming movie, “Slingshot,” looks to be his most high-profile project in years. 

Continue reading ‘Slingshot’: Casey Affleck To Star Opposite Laurence Fishburne In The Sci-Fi Drama at The Playlist.

Bill Pohlad (“Love & Mercy“) is set to write/direct “Dreamin’ Wild,” the pic is based on the true story of instrumental and vocal duo Donnie & Joe Emerson and their family dynamic over the years. This comes as music biopics have primarily centered on more popular acts that are better known to the public, and focusing on lesser-known musicians should allow the film to get under the shadow of the musicians themselves and let the movie become its own thing.

Continue reading ‘Dreamin’ Wild’: Casey Affleck & Walton Goggins Join Stellar Cast Of Musical Biopic From Bill Pohlad at The Playlist.

Every week, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalogue titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

This week’s disc and streaming recommendations include a star-filled drama that came and went quietly earlier this year, a new drama from a French master, a fresh look at a sophomore stumble, and the usual assortment of catalogue oddities.

Continue reading The 8 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Our Friend,’ ‘Spaceballs,’ ‘Southland Tales’ & More at The Playlist.

Admittedly, it’s strange to start a review with a list of complaints, but the new thriller “Every Breath You Take,” directed by Vaughn Stein, written by David Murray, and starring Casey Affleck, just begs for it. Much like how Affleck’s psychiatrist character deals with his patients, it is fitting to address the obvious issues with this film in a series of bullet points:       

• From a technical standpoint, the film is underlit and over-edited.

Continue reading ‘Every Breath You Take’: Thriller Starring Casey Affleck & Michelle Monaghan Is No ‘Gone Baby Gone’ Reunion [Review] at The Playlist.

Sadly, one of the tragic aspects of working in the psychiatric field is when a patient dies by suicide. It happens and is something that mental health workers have to experience all too often. Luckily, not every situation plays out as it does in the upcoming thriller, “Every Breath You Take.”

READ MORE: ‘The Unholy’ Trailer: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Cary Elwes & Katie Aselton Star In A Good Friday Horror

As seen in the trailer for “Every Breath You Take,” the film tells the story of a psychiatrist that has one of his patients die by suicide.

Continue reading ‘Every Breath You Take’ Trailer: Casey Affleck Is A Psychiatrist Targeted By A Murderer In This New Thriller at The Playlist.

Every aspect of cinematic language —the cutting, camerawork, audio, and period design elements— sing harmoniously together in Mona Fastvold’s historical romance, “The World to Come.” A lovelorn lesbian story reflecting on loss and those life-altering moments which become possible when a new, impossible smile starts orbiting your world, Fastvold’s film — starring the exceptionally talented Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby as Abigail and Tallie, a pair of 19th Century pioneer women who develop a connection so strong their stares could set the countryside aflame — softly breathes like pure poetry, like that rare discovery of newfound human connection. 

Continue reading Mona Fastvold Talks ‘The World To Come,’ Confronting The Myth Of Domestic Reality & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

It’s easy to look at a film’s synopsis and immediately think you know what you’re about to see, especially when it comes to features about a person dealing with a terminal illness and how that might affect their relationships. But “Our Friend” isn’t just your run-of-the-mill film about a devastating illness.

With “Our Friend” arriving at the end of the week, we’re happy to give our readers an exclusive look at a clip from the film.

Continue reading ‘Our Friend’ Exclusive Clip: Dakota Johnson & Casey Affleck Share A Beautiful Memory In This New Drama at The Playlist.

After the critical success of “A Portrait of a Lady On Fire” two years ago, it’s no surprise that there’s a modest influx of lesbian-themed period pieces following in that film’s lofty wake. Two upcoming movies certainly fit that mold, and arguably the more anticipated is Mona Fastvold‘s “The World To Come” (“Ammonite” being the other).

READ MORE: ‘The World To Come’ First Look Clip: Vanessa Kirby & Katherine Waterson’s Love Story Is Way Ahead Of Its Time

“The World To Come” has serious buzz following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last September.

Continue reading ‘The World To Come’ Trailer: Katherine Waterston & Vanessa Kirby Star In A 19th-Century American Romance at The Playlist.

In 2020 years, Gabriela Cowperthwaite‘s “Our Friend” came out ages ago. However, this life-affirming film about friendship, family, love, and loss debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019. Starring Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson, and Casey Affleck, the film was simply titled “The Friend” back then, and centered on a married couple, and family, Matthew and Nicole Teague (Affleck and Johnson), dealing with the news that Nicole only has six months to live after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Continue reading ‘Our Friend’ Trailer: Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson & Casey Affleck Star In Forgotten Cancer Dramedy From TIFF at The Playlist.

Over a year after Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant loosed each other’s corsets and fell in love in a French Cannes film, and less than a week before Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet are due to do the same in coastal England at TIFF, Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby play American, mid-19th century secret lesbian lovers in Mona Fastvold‘s Venice competition title “The World to Come,” a beautiful and quiet, seasons-spanning tale of poetry and pining pioneerwomen.

Continue reading ‘The World To Come’: Katherine Waterston & Vanessa Kirby Fall In Love On The American Frontier [Venice Review] at The Playlist.

Multiple faiths believe in its concept. And frankly, people should be hopeful that it happens sooner rather than later. The idea of a new world is not something that refers to heaven and/or where one goes after passing away. At least, that’s what the religious scholars would say. Instead, it’s the promise that one day the inhabitants of Earth might choose peace over violence and inclusivity over intolerance. This leads to a new film aptly entitled “The World to Come,” a look at two women who lived over 150 years ago and how their lack of acceptance mirrors today’s society.

Continue reading ‘The World To Come’ First Look Clip: Vanessa Kirby & Katherine Waterston’s Love Story Is Way Ahead Of Its Time at The Playlist.

As this maddening list attests—one that nearly broke us trying to order “properly”—putting together a Best of Decade list is dangerous work. There’s just a million factors to consider, a million people and look, we anguish and anguish and at the end of the day it’s all arbitrary anyhow, so don’t give us shit!

READ MORE: 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2020

As the 100 Best Films of The 2010s Decade proved, no matter what you claim about the state of cinema and the sky is falling, the best of the best was unimpeachable.

Continue reading The Best Film Performances Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

It’s been over a decade since director Christine Jeffs has released a film. Her last work, “Sunshine Cleaning,” which debuted at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival to pretty positive reviews. That film saw early work from two of the biggest actresses working today, Emily Blunt and Amy Adams. Well, now, more than a decade later, Jeffs is working on a new film, “Every Breath You Take,” and she’s found herself another strong cast.

Continue reading Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan & Sam Claflin Sign On For ‘Sunshine Cleaning’ Director’s First Film In Over A Decade at The Playlist.