As much as we evidently love you, our glorious readers (why else would we toil so hard over such a breathtaking array of year-end features, for one thing), there is perhaps a group of people we love even more. And that is our contributors, who throughout the year give The Playlist its inimitable, sometimes cacophonous but always lively voice, and who help us to deliver the goods to you every day in the manner of a vigilant cat laying the eviscerated mouse of the day’s hot movie topics at your feet.

Continue reading The Most Underrated & Overrated Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

We’re firmly into June now, and fast bearing down on the midpoint of 2017, a year that’s shaping up to be the longest goddamn year in history (fun fact: at the start of 2017, Barack Obama was President of the United States!). Fortunately, in between the insanity of the news, it’s been a pretty strong film year on the whole.

Sure, not all of the blockbusters have been great (*side eye to “The Mummy”*), but some have been terrific, and we’ve also seen several great and unexpected movies get their due at the box office.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2017 So Far at The Playlist.

It’s relatively unusual for a movie that’s already been open for a few weeks to release a new trailer. But with Anne Hathaway-starring oddity “Colossal,” from director Nacho Vigalondo, doing pretty well in theaters and expanding further this weekend, we can see why fledgling distributor Neon would give it a little bit more of a push.

That said, we would advise that you don’t watch the new trailer for the film, about a hard-partying young woman who discovers that she might be accidentally responsible for unleashing a kaiju on Seoul, unless you’ve seen it already.

Continue reading New Trailer For ‘Colossal’ With Anne Hathaway Drops A Literally Massive Spoiler at The Playlist.

April started relatively quiet at the box office, with the only major studio movie opening being a comedy about some old dudes who plan a heist, leaving plenty of room for an animated favorite to stay on top.

20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation kept the crown for the second straight weekend as “The Boss Baby” pulled in another $26.3 million. It’s quite the achievement, since Sony brought some competition with “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” whose tepid $14 million marks increasingly diminished returns for the franchise.

Continue reading ‘The Boss Baby’ Still Rules, ‘Going In Style’ Makes Unfashionable Debut [Box Office] at The Playlist.

On this episode of Adjust Your Tracking, Joe and I start things off with more chatter about the state of going out to the movies, and how things are rapidly evolving in this streaming era. We then move on to our two main reviews: new Netflix speculative sci-fi drama “The Discovery” and Neon‘s new release in theaters, “Colossal.” The back half of this episode features a grab bag of recommendations, starting with the latest from Romanian master Christian Mungiu, “Graduation,” and then moving to some streaming options in the wonderful documentary miniseries “Five Came Back” and season 2 of “Fargo.” Continuing with our Jesse Plemons theme this episode (he’s in three of the films/shows we discuss), Joe also highlights “Other People” and “Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives.”

READ MORE: Adjust Your Tracking Talks “T2 Trainspotting,” Dave Chappelle’s Netflix Specials, “The New Edition Story” & “Prevenge” 

All episodes of Adjust Your Tracking are part of The Playlist Podcast Network and can be found on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher.  

Continue reading Podcast: Adjust Your Tracking Talks ‘Colossal,’ ‘The Discovery,’ ‘Five Came Back’ & More In Streaming Vs. Theatrical Chat at The Playlist.

In these increasingly heated political times, when our world is marked by confusion, division and dissent, it’s vital to stay engaged. It’s gnarly out there. But, as per usual, the cinema is a place for escape from and high engagement with this world we live in.

Perhaps this month’s column can serve as a clearheaded, evenhanded guide to remind you, dear readers and moviegoers, that there’s certainly something opening at a movie theater worth your time.

Continue reading 10 Films To See In April at The Playlist.

This spring, Warner Bros. will bring cinema’s most famous ape back to the big screen in “Kong: Skull Island.” And following on the heels of movies like “Godzilla” and “Pacific Rim,” it seems we’re living in a new era of monster mayhem at the multiplex. But there is nothing quite like “Colossal.”

The latest from director Nacho Vigalondo (“Timecrimes,” “Extraterrestrial,” “Open Windows“) sees Anne Hathaway playing a woman at the lowest point in her life, only to discover she has a strange connection to monstrous happenings occurring on the other side of the world.

Continue reading Anne Hathaway Is Monstrously Out Of Control In New Trailer For ‘Colosal’ at The Playlist.

“Colossal” comes loaded with the kind of premise you might be inclined to immediately write off: Anne Hathaway is a down-on-her-luck woman who discovers she can manifest a Godzilla type monster halfway around the world, and wreak all kinds of havoc. I know, I know, but having seen the movie at TIFF last fall, I can tell you that there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye.

Continue reading Anne Hathaway Is A Monster In First Trailer For ‘Colossal’ at The Playlist.

Well, here we are, in the brave (terrifying) new (still terrifying) world of 2017. Whatever else we have to expect in the 363 days to come (and actually, the first 48 hours have been pretty good on the whole), it promises to be a good year for the movies, as you might have seen from our 100 Most Anticipated Movies piece a month or so back. But somehow, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Continue reading The 20 Best Movies Of 2017 That We’ve Already Seen at The Playlist.

After ten days, at least 55 films and an obscene amount of poutine and Tim Horton’s breakfast sandwiches, Team Playlist is done with the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF is probably the world’s biggest film festival, and if there were any worries about the “death of cinema” spurred by thinkpieces written as the fest was getting underway, they were swiftly dispelled by a line-up that showed the medium to be in fine health, from expensive true-life disaster movies and starry biopics to weird world cinema and tiny microbudget indies.

Continue reading The 15 Best Films Of The 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at The Playlist.

TORONTO – It’s not hard to see why having Anne Hathaway and the Kaiju genre might not sound right in the same sentence. Hathaway, a pristine, highly talented, Oscar nominated actress has never really delved in the monster genre. And yet, in director Nacho Vigalondo‘s “Colossal” the mix turns out wondrous results (here’s our review from TIFF). The 33 year-old actress plays a woman who suspects that her mental breakdown might be the reason why apocalyptic events are happening in Seoul.

Continue reading Exclusive: Anne Hathaway & Jason Sudeikis Talk The Kaiju Monsters Of ‘Colossal’ at The Playlist.

What makes a monster? It’s a question that director Nacho Vigalondo (“Timecrimes,” “Open Windows”) explores both literally and figuratively in “Colossal,” a monster movie that truly defies any preconceived notions of that description. Indeed, Toho, who own the rights to Godzilla, thought they had the film figured out, suing production company Voltage Pictures over concerns that “Colossal” would infringe on their copyrights.

Continue reading Anne Hathaway Discovers The Monster Hiding In Plain Sight In The Clever ‘Colossal’ [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

Talk to film festival regulars — the sales agents, critics, producers and general hangers-on that don’t just do one a year, but hit up virtually every major festival — and they’ll often tell you that their favorite destination isn’t Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Sundance or TIFF, but Fantastic Fest in Austin. Set up by Drafthouse founder Tim League and now in its twelfth year, it nominally specializes in genre fare — horror, sci-fi, crime etc.

Continue reading HBO’s ‘Westworld’ To Premiere First Episode At Fantastic Fest, ‘Colossal’ Is Closing Film at The Playlist.

So far, 2016 has been one of most disappointing years for movies we can remember, and the fall film-festival season couldn’t come fast enough. And already, Venice opener “La La Land,” has made the cinematic landscape seem much rosier (read Jess’s rave review here if you haven’t already). The premieres will come thick and fast over the next few days, with Telluride getting in the mix on Friday, but we’re still a week away from one of the biggest events of them all, the Toronto International Film Festival.

Continue reading The 30 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Toronto International Film Festival at The Playlist.

When Nacho Vigalondo‘s upcoming “Colossal” was first reported in the trades, it was described as “Godzilla” meets “Lost In Translation.” That pretty much had us sold already, particularly when it comes from “Timecrimes” and “Extraterrestrial” director Vigalondo. Now it’s headed to TIFF where it could make a big noise, particularly with the kind of cast he’s lined up.

Continue reading TIFF First Look: Anne Hathaway In Nacho Vigalondo’s Monster Movie ‘Colossal’ at The Playlist.

In less than a month, the entire industry will be in Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival, and as per usual, organizers are going to have an impressive and huge slate of movies to choose from. And their latest list of announcements highlights highly anticipated titles headed up north.

The cream of the crop is easily Ben Wheatley‘s “Free Free,” which will make its World Premiere as part of TIFF’s always terrific Midnight Madness lineup.

Continue reading TIFF Sets World Premiere For Ben Wheatley’s ‘Free Fire,’ ‘Colossal’ Starring Anne Hathaway, And More at The Playlist.

Let’s be honest, this summer movie season has been kind of a bummer. “Captain America: Civil War” got things off to a pretty good start, but since then, the big blockbusters — “X-Men: Apocalypse,” “Alice Through The Looking Glass,” “Warcraft,” “Independence Day” — have mostly been painful to sit through. And even the better wide releases, like “The Nice Guys,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and “The Neon Demon,” have mostly done poorly with audiences.

Continue reading 50 Films We Hope To See At The 2016 Fall Festivals at The Playlist.

Anne Hathaway's 'Godzilla' Meets 'Lost In Translation' Movie 'Colossal' Sued For Referencing Gareth Edwards' 'Godzilla'

Continue reading Anne Hathaway’s ‘Godzilla’ Meets ‘Lost In Translation’ Movie ‘Colossal’ Sued For Referencing Gareth Edwards’ ‘Godzilla’ at The Playlist.

Anne Hathaway To Star In 'Godzilla' Meets 'Lost In Translation' Monster Movie 'Colossal'

Continue reading Anne Hathaway To Star In ‘Godzilla’ Meets ‘Lost In Translation’ Monster Movie ‘Colossal’ at The Playlist.