Every Tuesday, 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 twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

It’s easy to complain – and your correspondent is certainly guilty of it – that we have nothing but superhero movies to go see these days, and it certainly feels like that’s true (in terms of cultural and commercial dominance).

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘V/H/S/94,’ ‘Cyrano,’ ‘The Humans,’ & More at The Playlist.

The timing is always right for a passionate, cinematic romance for the ages. But in the case of Joe Wright’s musical extravaganza “Cyrano,” a lush re-imagining of Edmond Rostand’s classic “Cyrano de Bergerac,” the timing couldn’t be more perfect, when the world is still reeling from the ongoing pandemic and the isolating aftermath of the strict lockdown days of the past.

Continue reading Joe Wright Talks ‘Cyrano,’ Having A Romantic Heart & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

With all of the buzz surrounding the Sundance Film Festival last month and with the Berlin International Film Festival poised to begin later this month, it’s easy to miss some of the smaller films released on the regular schedule. While January failed to offer many must-see titles, February looks to offer more with films such as likely Oscar nominee “The Worst Person in the World” sharing release dates with the anticipated return of Johnny Knoxville and the gang in “Jackass Forever.” Later in the month will see another attempt to adapt a video game into a series building film, Channing Tatum’s directing debut, and the return of indie favorite Josephine Decker.

Continue reading 13 Films To See In February: ‘Jackass Forever,’ ‘Worst Person,’ ‘Dog’ & More at The Playlist.

Peter Dinklage has taken on challenging roles in the past. But nothing seems to be as challenging as his new role in the acclaimed musical drama, “Cyrano.” In the film, Dinklage plays the title character, a master swordsman and a secret love interest of the girl of his dreams. Oh yeah, and he has to sing. 

With “Cyrano” arriving in theaters later this month, we’re happy to give our readers an exclusive look at a behind-the-scenes featurette that goes deep into Dinklage’s character and explains just how impactful the actor is with his co-stars in the film.

Continue reading ‘Cyrano’ Exclusive Featurette: Peter Dinklage Talks About Acceptance, Love & Swordfighting In His New Film at The Playlist.

While the end of the year coverage has mostly finished up, there’s still plenty of films that most of the average viewers have yet to see, making January a greater month for catch-up than anything else. This is especially true as critically acclaimed films such as “Parallel Mothers” continue their rollout. Other films such as “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which already had their limited release run, will be making their debut on streaming services this month while others, such as “A Hero,” leap to Amazon.

Continue reading 11 Films To See In January: ‘Italian Studies,’ ‘The 355’ & More at The Playlist.

In Hollywood, the holiday season is also the time for musicals. So what does MGM have in store for audiences this Christmas? “Cyrano,” starring Peter Dinklage and directed by Joe Wright, adapted from the same off-Broadway play by Eric Schmidt that had Dinklage in the lead role in late 2019.

READ MORE: ‘Cyrano’ Musical: Joe Wright Directs, The National Does The Music, Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett & More Star

Based on the 1897 play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “Cyrano” is a fictional romantic saga that stems around the historical 17th-century writer and libertine.

Continue reading ‘Cyrano’ Trailer: Peter Dinklage, Hayley Bennett & Kelvin Harrison Jr. Star In Joe Wright’s Musical Arriving In December at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – For those of us lucky enough to attend Cannes, there was a genuine sense of euphoria about returning to an in-person film festival following the pandemic forced cancellation in 2020. Returning to Telluride, which only featured a historic “Nomadland” outdoor screening last year, due to said pandemic, warmed the heart. Obviously, it wasn’t the same. Mandatory masks in all theaters meant it was often more intrusive to speak with other festival goers about their thoughts on the selections than in previous years, but overall there was a collective sense of joy in just how lucky everyone was to return to the annual Colorado cinephile showcase

READ MORE: Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” is a stirring coming of age portrait with magnificent performances [Telluride Review]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a mainstay at Telluride, wasn’t “officially” on the ground this year due to concerns over the Delta variant, but many AMPAS members still made the trek.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ & ‘King Richard’ Stir Oscar Season At Telluride at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Since it first debuted in 1897, Edmond Rostand’s original play “Cyrano de Bergerac” has been staged all over the world, adapted into numerous films, and seen its ingenious narrative used in almost every form of modern media. For a new version to triumph, it needs to equal or, hopefully, transcend what came before. Attempt to turn Rostand’s work into a musical, and it becomes an even tougher challenge.

Continue reading Peter Dinklage Can Sing But Joe Wright’s Musical ‘Cyrano’ Fizzles [Telluride Review] at The Playlist.

It’s that most wonderful, debilitating time of the year. The Fall Film Festival Season gives us myriad new films and ensures that some of us don’t go outdoors for about two weeks straight at the beginning of September. Such are the sacrifices we make for cinema. The Venice Film Festival has already kicked off today, and starting tomorrow, after a year away thanks to COVID-19, the Telluride Film Festival returns and returns rather triumphantly at that.

Continue reading Telluride 2021 Preview: 10 Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.

Trust us when we say we hope there’s a day when the words pandemic and COVID-19 are never written on the pages of this website again, specifically in any intros to any features. However, the reality is that the collective disruption of 2020 was difficult, and it made 2021’s release schedule something of a log-jammed shitshow. That Delta variant could play havoc with things too, but we’re all starting to learn to live with a world that’s in flux. 

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2021, So Far

All that said, the delays of 2021 have had their pluses.

Continue reading Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films at The Playlist.

Director Joe Wright (“The Darkest Hour“) was extremely productive last year during the pandemic and shot a new movie “Cyrano” in Noto, Sicily, with a fantastic cast that includes Emmy-winner Peter Dinklage (“I Care A Lot“), Haley Bennett (“The Magnificent Seven“), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“The Trial of The Chicago 7“), Ben Mendelsohn (“The Marsh King’s Daughter“), and Bashir Salahuddin (“Top Gun: Maverick“).

Continue reading First Look: Joe Wright’s Period Romance Musical ‘Cyrano’ With Peter Dinklage & Haley Bennett Arriving December 31 at The Playlist.

As we
pointed out recently, following their
acquisition of Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming 1970s San Fernando Valley
movie, MGM is making movies. Now run by Michael De Luca—a
former New Line Cinema executive who champion filmmakers like David Fincher,
F. Gary Gray, and Paul Thomas Anderson— the MGM chairman is
seemingly setting up a similar shop that includes blockbusters like the Bond
series, but also smart thrillers and art fair directed by award-winning
filmmakers.

Continue reading ‘Cyrano’ Musical: Joe Wright Directs, The National Does The Music, Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett & More Star at The Playlist.

When “Cyrano De Bergerac” first appeared on the stage in Paris, it seemed like a gift from God in an era of canting comedies. Who could have guessed that this failed playwright could write an overnight success literally overnight? No one, apparently. In 19th century Paris, people mocked Edmond Rostand for performing poetry. “Write a comedy!” they told him. And so he did. The journey that follows his path to writing high-brow humor, “Cyrano, My Love,” seems like a gift from God in an era of standard-issue biopics.

Continue reading ‘Cyrano, My Love’: Is A Delightful Look At The Creation Of A Classic [Review] at The Playlist.