To attempt to sum up all the ways that “Independence Day: Resurgence” failed as a sequel would take all day. There’s the plot, which was absolutely ridiculous (but in a painful, not fun way), the subpar acting, the uninspired direction, and so much more. Needless to say, there are plenty of film fans that wish ‘Resurgence’ just never existed. And surprisingly, one of those people is none other than Roland Emmerich, the film’s director.

Continue reading ‘Independence Day’ Director Roland Emmerich Regrets Not Pulling The Plug On ‘Resurgence’ When Will Smith Bailed at The Playlist.

Tomorrow, following an always grueling awards season run, Hollywood will be up early to see who will land Oscar nominations. But as is tradition, the folks at the Razzies are rolling out the red carpet of sorts for the year’s worst.

The nominees for the 2017 Razzies are here, and leading the pack with a total of nine nods is “Zoolander 2.” Ben Stiller‘s not-entirely-awful comedy sequel managed to get more nods than Zack Snyder‘s “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” (which earned eight), and David Ayer‘s “Suicide Squad” which only got two nominations (but frankly, deserved way more).

Continue reading ‘Zoolander 2’ Leads 2017 Razzie Awards Nominations, ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ Close Behind at The Playlist.

The Oscars for the year’s shittiest movies, the Razzies, are around the corner. And this weekend, the group that revels in the worst cinema had to offer revealed their shortlist of the films and performances that are in the mix be “honored” with nominations.

READ MORE: Box Office: The Winners & Losers Of 2016

Sure to spark DC fanboy moaning, “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” leads the pack, appearing the most times on the shortlist.

Continue reading ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ Leads Razzies Nominations Shortlist at The Playlist.

The more popular you are, the more people want you, especially for free, and that’s the lesson that comes with piracy. The most pirated shows of 2016 featured many of the year’s most talked about series, and so it goes with the movies that were the most ripped from the internet.

Torrent Freak reveals that “Deadpool” was the most pirated movie of 2016, according to stats from BitTorrent. It was followed by “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” “Captain America: Civil War” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which were all smash hits, with the latter crossing the $2 billion mark at the box office.

Continue reading ‘Deadpool’ Was The Most Pirated Movie Of 2016 at The Playlist.

We have a great job. We know that. But along with all the sunshine, there’s gotta be a little rain sometimes, and while we spend weeks in late November and December in deliberations about the best of the year in film, we also always take time — just one day, one feature — to consider the worst. By this stage, “2016” has become an adjective meaning “unexpectedly horrible and depressing,” but that’s not necessarily borne out in the world of film, where, certainly now that the prestige releases are happening thick and fast, the outlook is generally pretty upbeat, at least for those of us who haven’t seen “Collateral Beauty” yet.

Continue reading The 20 Worst Films Of 2016 at The Playlist.

While the awards season is geared specifically to honor the more artistic achievements of the medium across the last year, for those who like their entertainment with a little more spectacle, there’s always the VFX categories. And this year, the Oscar race is not short on blockbusters to choose from.

READ MORE: The 20 Best Movie Trailers Of 2016

The Academy released their shortlist of the 20 films that have made it to the next round of consideration for Oscar VFX nominations, and there are some heavyweights in here.

Continue reading 20 Contenders In VFX Oscar Race Include ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ ‘Rogue One,’ More at The Playlist.

It took 20 years, but “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the sequel to “Independence Day,” made it into cinemas over the summer, but there was little reason to celebrate. After much hemming and hawing, Will Smith ultimately decided not to make the follow-up to his blockbuster hit, and turned to “Suicide Squad” instead. And while much of the original cast wound up coming back, there were some oddball replacements, like swapping in Maika Monroe for the terrific Mae Whitman.

Continue reading Honest Trailer For ‘Independence Day: Resurgence,’ Which Had A Script So Bad, Will Smith Did ‘Suicide Squad’ Instead at The Playlist.

September is here, and the fall film festivals have started —check out our Venice coverage so far, and our Telluride coverage starts tomorrow and TIFF next week. Nevertheless, the days are getting shorter and the temperature a little cooler, so it’s time to look back on 2016’s moviegoing summer.

In most respects, it was a bad one. Most tentpoles disappointed, and unusually, it seemed that most underperformed at the box office (though it’s interesting to note that total box office is up about 3% from last year, thanks to a few monster hits).

Continue reading The Winners & Losers Of The 2016 Summer Movie Season at The Playlist.

WORST. SUMMER. EVER. By now you’ve  heard that refrain applied to the 2016 blockbuster season. Normally, we’re highly skeptical of any claims that suggest that the times we’re living in right this second are somehow unprecedented. The idea that Nothing Like This Has Ever Happened Before almost always proves false in the longer term, because the wheel turns, old wounds heal and new much more painful ones are opened up. And it’s a phrase that has been, within our collective memory of just the last decade or so, widely applied to 2013, to 2010, 2009 and 2007.

Continue reading Worst Movie Summer Ever: An Investigation at The Playlist.

Keeping the movie out of reach of most critics, 20th Century Fox could already see the writing on the wall about “Independence Day: Resurgence,” but the final numbers have confirmed what happens when you make a sequel to a movie starring Will Smith without Will Smith.

READ MORE: The Uninspired ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ Is Recycled, Disjointed Mush [Review]

‘Resurgence’ brought mega-destruction to cinemas to the tune of $41 million, falling behind the $50 million opening weekend haul of the original “Independence Day.” This may be a signal that director Roland Emmerich‘s particular brand of blockbuster moviemaking is now somewhat passé.

Continue reading ‘Finding Dory’ Keeps Swimming, Stays Ahead Of ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ [Box Office] at The Playlist.

20 years gone, the world has changed since Roland Emmerich first lured audiences into theaters with images of major landmarks blown to smithereens. In 1996 “Independence Day” played like old-school disaster-movie hokum upscaled with cutting-edge effects and Bill Pullman as a slogan-shouting POTUS. Now, as Emmerich brings rapacious aliens back to Earth for a second round in “Independence Day: Resurgence,” scenes of global destruction are tired and the speechifying is rote.

Continue reading The Uninspired ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ Is Recycled, Disjointed Mush [Review] at The Playlist.

The 4th of July is coming early this year. “Independence Day: Resurgence” is mere hours from its U.S. release, and as it looms nearer, the sequel is inspiring a healthy amount of chatter online — particularly from Roland Emmerich, the director of both films. Although it remains to be seen if the revamp of his 20-year-old blockbuster smash will become the same cultural phenomenon, Emmerich is certainly seeing dollar signs.

Continue reading Roland Emmerich Teases ‘Independence Day 3’ Plot, Remind Yourself Of Original’s Greatness With New Video Essay at The Playlist.

Making a great science fiction sequel may be easier than creating a killer comedy sequel, but not by much. Producers have been turning out second (and third, and fourth) chapters to continue stories of space and advanced technology for decades, but with the exception of a killer run of films in the 1980s and early ’90s, most of them stink.

The ratio of bad sci-fi sequels to good only makes the best ones seem even more impressive.

Continue reading The 15 Best Sci-Fi Sequels at The Playlist.

Some people say that critics no longer matter with giant blockbusters — that these things have built in audiences that will turn up regardless. We’d argue that’s not really the case — look at how a “Captain America: Civil War” or “The Force Awakens” performs at the box office versus a “Batman V. Superman” or “Warcraft,” and even the always-derided “Transformers” films have dropped off with each film in the U.S..

Continue reading First Buzz: ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ As Entertaining & Stupid As The Original at The Playlist.

If you notice a shadow blocking out the sunlight this week, it’s because “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the long… awaited sequel to the 1996 alien-battling blockbuster, is finally arriving in theaters. If it seems like there’s a slight lack of buzz, it might be because 20th Century Fox, in a near unprecedented move for a film of this size, aren’t screening the film until after it opens for paying audiences.

Continue reading ‘Independence Day’ Director Roland Emmerich Says He Doesn’t Like ‘Silly’ Superhero Movies at The Playlist.

While it has taken twenty years for an “Independence Day” sequel to arrive (losing Will Smith on the way), it’s a concept that has been tinkered with over the years, until landing (for better or worse) on what will hit cinemas next week. But back in the early ’00s, the creative team was kicking around ideas, that even they admit, what they had at the time wasn’t so hot.

Continue reading Roland Emmerich Shares Scrapped Post-9/11 ‘Independence Day’ Sequel Plot, Teases ‘Independence Day 3’ at The Playlist.

As folks dust off their air conditioners for another hot summer, The Playlist and moviegoers alike are preparing for another kind of scorching hot intensity, the Hollywood hype machine. While we’re busy critiquing the films and analyzing the box office, we hope you good folks are able to enjoy some good nights out at the movies. But as ever, there’s an unwieldy minefield of choices that reach into and well beyond your local multiplex. Take a wrong step, and you may just end up hitting a bomb.

Continue reading 14 Films To See In June at The Playlist.

“X-Men: Apocalypse” has already opened overseas, and in addition to getting the blockbuster early, U.K. audiences are also being treated to a five-minute trailer for “Independence Day: Resurgence.” I don’t know about you, but I think trailers already give away far too much these days, and I can only imagine that a five minute sizzle reel is basically going to be a supercut for the movie. So I’d advise to proceed with caution.

Continue reading Watch: Epic 5-Minute Extended Trailer For ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ at The Playlist.

Obviously the biggest event of the summer is The Playlist moving to the shiny new digs in which you’re now seeing us. But seriously, the summer movie months are packed with films both big and small guaranteed to thrill, delight and provoke you, and keep you out of the sunshine, and inside basking in air-conditioned comfort.

The time when big movies were released only in summer has long gone — this year has seen “Deadpool,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” and “The Jungle Book” among those that were smashing box office records while the temperatures were still low and the days still short.

Continue reading The 40 Most Anticipated Movies Of Summer 2016 at The Playlist.

Today is Earth Day, which means for movie studios, there’s no better time to market your hundred million dollar blockbuster that will undoubtedly create a lot of useless licensed products. That mini-rant aside, “Independence Day: Resurgence” is coming, and it looks much more serious than its predecessor.

Roland Emmerich directs once again, with Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, and Brent Spiner reprising their roles, and Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, and Sela Ward the newcomers in this tale that sees Earth once again battling for its survival.

Continue reading Earth Is Not Prepared In New Trailer For ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ at The Playlist.

Watch: The World Unites In Super Bowl Spot For 'Independence Day: Resurgence'

Continue reading Watch: The World Unites In Super Bowl Spot For ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Earth Is Invaded Again In First Trailer For 'Independence Day: Resurgence'

Continue reading Watch: Earth Is Invaded Again In First Trailer For ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ at The Playlist.

20th Century Fox Reveals ‘Independence Day’ Sequel Title, Watch 30 Minute Q&A With The Cast

Continue reading 20th Century Fox Reveals ‘Independence Day’ Sequel Title, Watch 30 Minute Q&A With The Cast at The Playlist.

'Independence Day 2' Promotional Art And Synopsis Promises "Next Epic Chapter"

Continue reading ‘Independence Day 2’ Promotional Art And Synopsis Promises “Next Epic Chapter” at The Playlist.

'The Guest' Director Adam Wingard Signs 'Death Note,' Star Maika Monroe Joins 'Independence Day 2'

Continue reading ‘The Guest’ Director Adam Wingard Signs ‘Death Note,’ Star Maika Monroe Joins ‘Independence Day 2’ at The Playlist.