If you want a high-velocity, muscular, and sharply tense dramatic thriller, which also doubles as a penetrating action film, more or less, in the parlance of the kids, we are so back. Or rather, the acclaimed indie director Jeremy Saulnier has finally returned with his long-awaited fifth feature film and, more importantly, returns to form after the minor misstep of 2019’s “Hold the Dark.” His best film since “Green Room,” and nearly as gripping, anxiety-inducing, and visceral, Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge” is a no-fuss, no-muss dynamic action thriller.

Continue reading ‘Rebel Ridge’ Review: Jeremy Saulnier’s Fierce ACAB Thriller Is An Intense Showcase For Aaron Pierre at The Playlist.

The past is never truly that far behind, especially when it involves family. One man comes face to face with these harsh truths in “The Birthday Cake.” Set among a gritty world of mafia life, this thriller pushes viewers to unravel mysteries while taking in its jarring reality.

READ MORE: Summer 2021 Preview: Over 50 Movies To
Watch

‘Cake’ marks Jimmy Giannopoulos’ directorial debut and adds to a resume built on musical pursuits.

Continue reading ‘Birthday Cake’ Trailer: Shiloh Fernandez, Val Kilmer & Ewan McGregor Star In A Mob Drama at The Playlist.

Most years are kind to Naomi Watts, and 2019 is no real exception. The actress has been in the hit Sundance film “Luce,” and she was cast as the lead in one of HBO’s “Game Of Thrones” spin-offs, although you won’t see that one until 2020 at the earliest. But she’s also been in one more 2019 Sundance film that has gone a little bit more under the radar.

Continue reading ‘The Wolf Hour’ Trailer: Naomi Watts Is A Paranoid Shut-In During The Summer Of Sam at The Playlist.

Authenticity is the greatest cultural currency a musician can carry, and when combined with a powerful image, the result can be explosive. As Malcolm McLaren showed the world with the Sex Pistols, both authenticity and image can be carefully managed and manufactured. And as the Sex Pistols proved, they could take the ideas presented by McLaren, run with them into unexpected places, and develop an audience and following that take them further still.

Continue reading ‘Lords Of Chaos’ Is A Black Metal Drama That Hits All The Wrong Notes [Review] at The Playlist.

The tale is familiar: a man gets sent to prison and must learn the inner workings and street code of the hard knock life behind bars in order to survive. But in the case of “Shot Caller,” a pretty decent cast is assembled for what looks like an otherwise standard run through this sort of material.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Donovan, Evan Jones, Benjamin Bratt, and Holt McCallany star in the film about an innocent man who gets locked up, and soon becomes transformed by his incarceration.

Continue reading First Trailer For ‘Shot Caller’ Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal & Emory Cohen at The Playlist.

You’ve heard the refrain from filmmakers before: making a movie is like going off to war. The director leads the troops, his actors are soldiers on the battlefield, and everyone leaves their loved ones behind for months. The crucial key to the battle plan is a vision and the unswerving belief in that ideal in the face of all odds and obstacles. For filmmakers, faith in what you’re doing — as you take the plunge and jump off the cliff to make a movie — is everything.

Continue reading Failure To Launch: ‘War Machine’ Starring Brad Pitt Is A Major Misfire [Review] at The Playlist.

Once rumored for the Cannes Film Festival, Netflix‘s “War Machine,” from director David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom”) and starring Brad Pitt, was never screened for the Cannes organizers. So count out the Croisette, but dropping during the week of the festival, the big, expensive movie by the streaming service should make waves. And it’ll hit theatrically as well, something Netflix doesn’t do often.

Continue reading ‘War Machine’: Brad Pitt Will Liberate The Sh*t Out Of Afghanistan [New Trailer] at The Playlist.

Without necessarily reflecting on its quality, it sometimes takes a while for a movie to come down the distribution pipeline. Companies need time to put plans for a movie together, come up with marketing strategies and find the right release date, which sometimes means that films end up meeting the general public quite some time after festival audiences catch them. It shouldn’t be taken as a negative — both “Crash” and “The Hurt Locker” won Best Picture at the Oscars over a year after their world premieres at TIFF and Venice respectively — and as such, we have some faith in “Vincent-N-Roxxy.”

It’s exactly a year since the film premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, but it’s finally set to hit theaters in a month or so, and while that delay might give some pause, the film looks pretty decent from the trailer that Vertical Entertainment just premiered.

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For Crime Drama ‘Vincent-N-Roxxy’ Starring Emile Hirsch & Zoe Kravitz at The Playlist.

Netflix has plenty of original productions under their belt, but “War Machine” marks their first with an A-lister the size of Brad Pitt. The actor leads the latest from David Michôd (“Animal Kingdom,” “The Rover“), who is no slouch behind the camera either. And a new trailer highlights the unique tone this comedy is bringing to the table.

Continue reading Brad Pitt Rebuilds Afghanistan In New Trailer For ‘War Machine’ at The Playlist.

If any one of the ’90s Quentin Tarantino copycats remade “Sliding Doors,” this neo-noir would be the result, even down to the casting of John Lynch, who starred in the 1998 film. Filled with would-be-witty dialogue, “Detour” takes a Choose Your Own Adventure approach to its twist-filled narrative about a college student whose attempts for revenge go very wrong. Director Christopher Smith employs split screen to show what happens when his hero makes a decision and flips back in time when it wants to show the audience just how little they know.

Continue reading Neo-Noir ‘Detour’ Starring Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley And Emory Cohen Underwhelms [Review] at The Playlist.

Vengeance has consequences, and that’s the hook of “Detour,” the upcoming thriller which stars three fast-rising young actors in a movie where each decision factors into the twisty tale involving kidnapping and murder.

READ MORE: 10 Films To See In January

Tye Sheridan, Emory Cohen and Bel Powley are the leads in director Christopher Smith‘s movie about a law student who finds a chance to get even with his stepfather, who he believes was responsible for leaving his mother in a coma.

Continue reading Exclusive: Tye Sheridan & Emory Cohen Contemplate Stopping Time In Clip From ‘Detour’ at The Playlist.

Nothing specific, but some vague spoilers below.

The earliest and best example of how “The OA,” which is a bit like a lot of things but not a lot like any one thing, is going to set itself apart from the Peak TV herd, comes at 57 minutes in to the first episode. It’s only then, after what must surely count as the longest “cold open” in history, that the words “Netflix presents” come up on screen.

Continue reading Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij’s Mystery Box Netflix Series ‘The OA’ Both Shimmers & Stumbles [TV Review] at The Playlist.

Well, it looks like Netflix is pulling a “Cloverfield” on everybody. The streaming service has been keeping details and even the very existence of “The OA” under wraps all year, but just like that they are dropping it on the service on Friday, which might be perfect in case your local screening of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is sold out.

Continue reading Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij Want You To Trust The Unknown In First Trailer For Netflix’s ‘The OA’ at The Playlist.

“Don’t regret the things you do, just the things you don’t,” says Emory Cohen in the upcoming neo-noir “Detour,” and that’s pretty much the sentence around which the entire movie revolves. Utilizing plenty of split screen, the film, which we described as a Quentin Tarantino knockoff directing a “Sliding Doors” remake, essentially folds two crime stories in one.

READ MORE: Tribeca Review: Neo-Noir ‘Detour’ Starring Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley And Emory Cohen

Directed by Christopher Smith, and also featuring Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley, and Stephen Moyer, the story follows a law-student who falls in a grifter, with their meeting leading to murder.

Continue reading Tye Sheridan Tries To Keep It Together In New Trailer For Neo-Noir ‘Detour’ With Bel Powley & Emory Cohen at The Playlist.

Woody Harrelson And Liam Hemsworth Get In The Saddle In First Trailer For Western 'The Duel'

Continue reading Woody Harrelson And Liam Hemsworth Get In The Saddle In First Trailer For Western ‘The Duel’ at The Playlist.

Tribeca Review: Neo-Noir 'Detour' Starring Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley And Emory Cohen

Continue reading Tribeca Review: Neo-Noir ‘Detour’ Starring Tye Sheridan, Bel Powley And Emory Cohen at The Playlist.

Sundance Review: John Crowley’s Gorgeous & Bittersweet ‘Brooklyn’ With Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson & Emory Cohen

Continue reading Sundance Review: John Crowley’s Gorgeous & Bittersweet ‘Brooklyn’ With Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson & Emory Cohen at The Playlist.

Casting: Tom Hiddleston Is 'The Night Manager,' Jeff Daniels Joins Ridley Scott's 'The Martian' And More

Continue reading Casting: Tom Hiddleston Is ‘The Night Manager,’ Jeff Daniels Joins Ridley Scott’s ‘The Martian’ And More at The Playlist.

Tribeca Review: 'Beneath The Harvest Sky' Starring Aiden Gillen, Emory Cohen & Callan McAullife

Continue reading Tribeca Review: ‘Beneath The Harvest Sky’ Starring Aiden Gillen, Emory Cohen & Callan McAullife at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Learn The Business With Clip From 'Beneath The Harvest Sky' Starring Aiden Gillen

Continue reading Exclusive: Learn The Business With Clip From ‘Beneath The Harvest Sky’ Starring Aiden Gillen at The Playlist.

Bruce Willis Will 'Rock The Kasbah,' Lindsay Lohan Plans 'Inconceivable' Project & Much More

Continue reading Bruce Willis Will ‘Rock The Kasbah,’ Lindsay Lohan Plans ‘Inconceivable’ Project & Much More at The Playlist.

Kit Harington Starring In Big Screen Version Of BBC Show 'Spooks,' Domhnall Gleeson Goes To 'Brooklyn' & More

Continue reading Kit Harington Starring In Big Screen Version Of BBC Show ‘Spooks,’ Domhnall Gleeson Goes To ‘Brooklyn’ & More at The Playlist.

On The Rise: 11 Actors To Watch In 2013

Continue reading On The Rise: 11 Actors To Watch In 2013 at The Playlist.