The final season of Netflix‘s “The Crown” comes to a close in two weeks when the final six episodes premiere on the streamer on December 14. Bad news for fans of the series, but maybe the right call in the long run. Critics had mixed reviews on the Part 1 of Season 6, which focused on the tragic death of Princess Diana. But a pivot in dramatic focus may have Peter Morgan‘s series land on its feet.

Continue reading ‘The Crown’ Season 6 Part 2 Trailer: The Final Six Episodes Of Peter Morgan’s Series Premiere On Netflix On December 14 at The Playlist.

Art often imitates life (and vice versa), and the rumor and speculation swirling before a new season of “The Crown” is released rivals the attention received by the figures it portrays. Outrage about potential storylines hits fever-pitch heights as we enter the final stretch, and it is no surprise that emotion runs high with the events of 1997 about to play out. But this is not a reenactment nor a docuseries, and Peter Morgan’s drama-infused telling shouldn’t be assessed based on accuracy or who it will offend.

Continue reading ‘The Crown’ Season 6 Review: Elizabeth Debicki Offers Nuance Even When The Show Struggles For Subtlety [Part 1] at The Playlist.

Out with the old and in with the new is a now familiar part of “The Crown” and its rotating cast, serving as a reminder of how rich the existing British acting pool is with its slew of recognizable faces. This series can also make careers as Emma Corrin and Vaness Kirby were launched into the stratosphere after her breakout performance as the young Diana Spencer and Princess Margaret.

Continue reading ‘The Crown’ Season 5: Melodrama Reigns, But This Is No Hatchet job [Review] at The Playlist.

It’s been a minute since “The Crown” season four, two years to be exact, which was almost an entire pandemic ago, but Peter Morgan’s acclaimed Netflix series finally returns in November. Season four was set between 1979 and 1990, is set during Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year run as prime minister, and also introduced Lady Diana Spencer into the series. The fifth season of “The Crown” is set entirely in the 1990s and, in doing so, ages up a lot of the characters who are now played by new actors.

Continue reading ‘The Crown’ Season 5 Trailer: Elizabeth Debicki Stars As Princess Diana In The Bitter Prince Charles Divorce Years at The Playlist.

All good things must come to an end. And when you’re a streaming series on Netflix, that end normally comes around Season 5. So, with that in mind, we’re here to inform you that the Emmy-winning drama series “The Crown” has officially announced that the fifth season will be its last.

Despite the recent announcement that actress Imelda Staunton would take over for Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth in Season 5 of the series, it appears that unlike her predecessors, Staunton will only get one batch of episodes to leave her mark.

Continue reading Netflix Announces ‘The Crown’ Will End After Season 5 at The Playlist.

There is more than a touch of ‘Buffy‘ Season 6 in the way Romola Garai‘s Midnight-dwelling directorial debut, “Amulet,” finally shakes down — and, I shouldn’t have to say, that’s a compliment. The much-maligned penultimate season of Joss Whedon‘s era-defining TV show has recently come in for gratifying reevaluation as its darker tone, the greater pessimism of its worldview and especially its investigation of a masculinity that in 2002 had scarcely even begun to be described as “toxic,” have proven prescient indeed.

Continue reading Romola Garai’s Horror Debut ‘Amulet’ (Mostly) Works Like A Charm [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Even though Martin Scorsese proved that you can use the same actors to portray decades and decades of someone’s life, apparently the producers of “The Crown” on Netflix are going to stick with their decision to recast the lead role every couple of years. What started as a series led by the Emmy-winning Claire Foy has recently turned into a series starring Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman.

Continue reading Imelda Staunton To Take Over The Lead Role From Olivia Colman In Seasons 5 & 6 Of ‘The Crown’ at The Playlist.

“Paddington 2” is, simply put, a blessing. Just as the first “Paddington” captivated and delighted audiences of all ages around the world, “Paddington 2” —  co-writer/director Paul King‘s marvellously rousing, deeply satisfying sequel — is not only another warm, friendly, massively good-natured family-friendly film, but it’s deeply caring, here to give everyone a light and entertaining diversion during these taxing times.

As charming, wonderful and lovely as the first “Paddington” movie was in early 2015, “Paddington 2” is even more comforting and rewarding in 2018.

Continue reading ‘Paddington 2’ Might Be Even More Charming Than The First [Review] at The Playlist.

Review: 'Paddington' Starring Ben Whishaw, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville & Sally Hawkins

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Review: 'Pride' Is A Rousing Crowd-Pleaser Done Right

Continue reading Review: ‘Pride’ Is A Rousing Crowd-Pleaser Done Right at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer And 3 Clips From 'Pride' Making Its North American Premiere At TIFF

Continue reading Watch: Trailer And 3 Clips From ‘Pride’ Making Its North American Premiere At TIFF at The Playlist.

Casting: Miles Teller Gets 'Whiplash'; Sam Rockwell Scares Up 'Poltergeist' & More

Continue reading Casting: Miles Teller Gets ‘Whiplash’; Sam Rockwell Scares Up ‘Poltergeist’ & More at The Playlist.

Review: Rebecca Hall Chiller 'The Awakening' Is Flawed, But Also Kind Of A Blast

Continue reading Review: Rebecca Hall Chiller ‘The Awakening’ Is Flawed, But Also Kind Of A Blast at The Playlist.

Continue reading Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Sam Riley & Lesley Manville Join ‘Maleficent’ With Angelina Jolie at The Playlist.

Toby Jones & Sienna Miller To Star In BBC TV Drama About Relationship Between Alfred Hitchcock & Tippi Hedren

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Continue reading Saoirse Ronan Takes Title Role In ‘Effie,’ Joins Orlando Bloom, Imelda Staunton & Emma Thompson at The Playlist.

Continue reading James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy To Voice Animated ‘Arthur Christmas’ at The Playlist.

In the film’s opening prologue, Imelda Staunton’s character (only a small cameo in the picture — she doesn’t really return) is asked, “on as scale of 1 to 10, how happy are you?” This question sets the mood and tone for a picture that is often tinged with melancholy, despair and loneliness, while peppered with soulful, humanist notes of infectious joy, resonating humor and warmth.

Continue reading TIFF ’10 Review: ‘Another Year’ Is Laughter, Love & Tears at The Playlist.

The film’s going to play at the Toronto and New York Film Festivals, and hits theaters December 29th, but in the meantime, The Guardian premiered the first look at the trailer for the film today, and, as a result, it’s cemented its place as one of our most anticipated films for the rest of the year.

Continue reading First Trailer For Mike Leigh’s ‘Another Year’ Appears at The Playlist.

Younger readers might not remember this fossil of a genre, but essentially the British versions of this type of film are generally “drama-ish” (another long-gone film genre), don’t include blue furry creatures, and don’t include grown men dressed in homoerotic tights trying to fight crime/ super-powered villains with daddy issues.

Continue reading Rebecca Hall, Dominic West & Imelda Staunton To Star In U.K. Supernatural Thriller ‘The Awakening’ at The Playlist.

Surrounded in mystery for the better part of half a year, the synopsis just recently came out, plus a whole ton of photos. The film stars Jim Broadbent (Leigh’s “Topsy-Turvy”) Imelda Staunton (Leigh’s “Vera Drake”), Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wright and Oliver Maltman, and while the short version is vague it sounds like it’s about… life and it’s broken in up into the chapters of a seasonal year.

Continue reading Watch: First Look Video Clips From Mike Leigh’s ‘Another Year’ at The Playlist.

It wasn’t even really a synopsis and all it revealed was it was just another film that used Leigh’s trademark methods of improvisation featured in films like, “Happy Go-Lucky,” “Naked,” “Secret & Lies” and many, many others.

Essentially, Leigh gets a basic idea and characters, throws several actors together for weeks of rehearsal and then a story generally surfaces out of that improv.

Continue reading Mike Leigh’s New Untitled Project Gets A Title: ‘Another Year’ at The Playlist.

So we now have new shots of David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” starring Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Christian Bale.

Continue reading First Looks & New Photos: Clooney’s ‘American,’ Mike Leigh’s Untitled New Project, David O. Russell’s ‘The Fighter’ at The Playlist.

It’s spirited and sweet, but much more innocuous than similar period, age stories, i.e., it’s no “Dazed & Confused” The warm-hearted essence to the picture does capture the soul of the peace and love generation — and that makes the picture not a total loss.

Continue reading ‘Taking Woodstock’: Light & Fluffy Reefer at The Playlist.

The disc features score, composed by Danny Elfman, plus tracks by Woodstock-friendly usual suspects, Richie Havens, The Doors, Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Grateful Dead, etc.

We saw the film at Cannes. It’s sweet, tender, but also, polite, congenial and in some ways, really forgettable to be completely honest. The film opens in limited release on August 28.

Continue reading ‘Taking Woodstock’ Soundtrack Features The Doors, The Dead, Janis Joplin, Due August 25 at The Playlist.