Look, thanks to that godforsaken pandemic, which messed up the Oscars and the entire calendar year, it’s kind of hard to make the Best Films Of The Year, So Far feature because so many films were kind of released in 2020 — to qualify early for the Oscars — and or many were just released in a quiet limited release in December 2020. So, there is a tiny bit of crossover on our Best Films of 2020 list, but some films, “Nomadland” and “Minari” — which were essentially seen early last year at festivals — are not on this list and some films on the edge, like “Pieces of A Woman,” are okay?

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2021, So Far at The Playlist.

28 years. That’s how long it’s been since Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for an Academy Award. In that case, it was the now forgotten drama “Love Field.” Now, thanks to the attention of a Golden Globe nominations and her performance in the dramedy “French Exit,” Pfeiffer has a shot for a welcome return to the Oscar circle.

READ MORE: ‘French Exit’: With no f*cks to give Michelle Pfeiffer sets an icy world of privilege ablaze [Review]

Based on screenwriter Patrick deWitt’s novel of the same name, “French Exit” centers on Francis Price (Pfeiffer), a Manhattan widow who has blown through her husband’s estate to unsettling effect.

Continue reading Michelle Pfeiffer Shares Her Favorite One-Liner From ‘French Exit’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

The deck for 2021 film releases was shuffled yet again late last year, adding yet another wrinkle to what has undoubtedly been one of, if not the most tumultuous yearlong period for domestic film distribution in history. Obviously, some of 2021’s bigger blockbusters still have (tentative) release dates (see our massive 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021 feature): we’re thinking of Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-anticipated “Dune” adaptation, which was supposed to be in theaters last December, and also Adam Wingard’s long-delayed “Godzilla Vs.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2021 We’ve Already Seen at The Playlist.

Has there ever been a time when Michelle Pfeiffer was anything less than amazing? Over her decades-long career, she’s done everything from legendary crime dramas (“Scarface“) to superhero films (“Batman Returns” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp“) without ever missing a beat. And now, she’s giving what might be her best performance in a new dark comedy, “French Exit.”

READ MORE: ‘French Exit’: With No F*cks To Give, Michelle Pfeiffer Sets An Icy World Of Privilege Ablaze [NYFF Review]

As seen in the trailer for “French Exit,” Pfeiffer stars as a privileged socialite that sees all of her money disappear.

Continue reading ‘French Exit’ Trailer: Michelle Pfeiffer & Lucas Hedges Are Privileged Socialites Starting Anew In Paris at The Playlist.

A Tragedy of Manners. This is how bestselling author Patrick DeWitt’s satirical novel “French Exit” was billed upon its publishing in 2018. That description is also spot-on for this elegant, droll, and heartbreaking screen adaption, directed with crafty command and confident style by Azazel Jacobs. Scripted by DeWitt himself with the authority of a wordsmith possessed by his own material, the fiendishly disarming “French Exit” widely and nonchalantly grins out its death-tinted tragedy throughout, but with a fake smile, a severe code of conduct, and not a hair out of place.

Continue reading ‘French Exit’: With No F*cks To Give, Michelle Pfeiffer Sets An Icy World Of Privilege Ablaze [NYFF Review] at The Playlist.

A funny thing happened on the way to a COVID-delayed Oscar qualification deadline. Real Best Picture contenders showed up. That’s right, anyone who thinks they are putting an asterisk on this upcoming 2021 Academy Awards ceremony like the ongoing NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, or severely shortened MLB season are in for a surprise.

READ MORE: Awards Season Verdicts: “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “On the Rocks”

Granted, we have a long, long way to go.

Continue reading Oh My, We Actually Have A Legit Best Picture Race [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

As we’ve mentioned ad nauseum this fall, cinema is different this year and so are film festivals. While the pandemic knocked Cannes, Telluride, and SXSW out of action, festivals with the benefit of more time have worked extremely hard to find a way to pull off a virtual film festival with drive-in screenings. Chief among them and so far, the only major American film festival to pull it off, the New York Film Festival, has done a remarkable job of pulling their festival together, using both virtual screenings, that expand all over North America and not just New York, and drive-in screenings around the five boroughs.

Continue reading NYFF 2020: 12 Most Anticipated Films You Need See at The Playlist.

While the US festival season has been in a bit of disarray since SXSW was canceled back in March, it appears that some events will actually take place before the end of 2020, led by the New York Film Festival in September. And though the event is scaled down a bit from previous editions, there are still some high-quality films being screened, including the upcoming Closing Night selection, “French Exit.”

Today, NYFF announced that Azazel Jacobs’ upcoming feature, “French Exit,” will serve as the Closing Night selection at this year’s event.

Continue reading ‘French Exit’: Michelle Pfeiffer & Lucas Hedges Film With A Talking Cat To Close Out NYFF 2020 at The Playlist.