If it feels like filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan is fired up and reenergized with his new single-setting thriller “Trap,” that’s because he is. It’s his best film of all ages; it is tense, tightly wound, and stress-inducing but entertaining with a dark sense of humor. It’s also akin to Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” where it attempts and pulls off some bold structural moves in its terrifying and disturbing final act that will take you by surprise.

Continue reading ‘Trap’: Josh Hartnett Talks Working With M. Night Shyamalan, Potential Sequels, & Playing A Terrifying Psychopath [Interview] at The Playlist.

As you probably already know from the trailers, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan probably wins the best film concept of the year with his captivating thriller “Trap,” even if you haven’t seen a frame. The ingenious design of the feature is simple but super effective and engrossing: a father takes his teenage daughter to a packed stadium concert for a pop star, but once there, he learns the entire concept is a ruse and sting operation to catch a serial killer on the loose known as “The Butcher.” There’s one rub to it all: this doting, caring, and loving father is also that serial killer, unbeknownst to everyone, including the FBI, who’s after him.

Continue reading ‘Trap’: M. Night Shyamalan Talks Empathy Shifts, Catching Josh Hartnett’s “Moment,” Potential Sequels & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

Josh Hartnett’s career has surprised some in the last ten years. The star burst onto the scene in the late ’90s, starring in “Halloween H2O” and “The Faculty.” Through most of the aughts, he soared in the Hollywood limelight with movies like “Black Hawk Down,” “40 Days and 40 Nights,” and “Lucky Number Slevin.” And then, roughly ten years ago, he seemingly disappeared.

Continue reading ‘Trap’ Trailer: Josh Hartnett Stars In M. Night Shyamalan’s Newest Thriller Coming In August at The Playlist.

After a five-movie spate at Universal that resurrected his career, M. Night Shyamalan now has a first-look deal at Warner Bros. Pictures. So what’s the first film of Shyamalan’s at his new studio home? That would be “Trap,” a thriller that stars his eldest daughter, rising music star Saleka Shyamalan.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

And since this is an M.

Continue reading ‘Trap’ Trailer: M. Night Shyamalan’s Latest Thriller Gives A Pop Star’s Arena Event A Dark Twist at The Playlist.

A film adapted from a book entitled “American Prometheus” was not going to be subtle about its inspirations. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” offers nothing short of a mythological retelling of American history as modernism’s end. At its core is Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer, rendered in all his complications as savior and sinner, redeemer and rebel. Just try and distill the detailed rendering of the famed theoretical physicist and creator of the atomic bomb into a neat fable.

Continue reading ‘Oppenheimer’ Review: Christopher Nolan Majestically Turns the Manhattan Project into American Myth at The Playlist.

The sixth season of “Black Mirror,” Charlie Brooker’s award-winning anthology series that Netflix turned into an original in 2016, might be the most inconsistent in the show’s history. At first, it’s tempting to dismiss it entirely as a production that’s past its sell-by date, especially given how much the world has changed in the four years since the last installment. Those feelings surface most of all when the season feels like something put together after Brooker put some hot-button topics on a whiteboard and worked back from there.

Continue reading ‘Black Mirror’ Review: Sixth Season Of Netflix Hit Is All Over The Sci-Fi Map at The Playlist.

One of the staples of Netflix, “Black Mirror,” is back with yet another round of episodes that will likely make you fear for our future and lose all faith in humanity. Hooray!

READ MORE: Summer 2023 TV Preview: 40 Must-See Shows To Watch

And as seen in the new trailer for “Black Mirror” Season 6, it would appear that Charlie Brooker and his crew of all-star filmmakers actors and accomplished filmmakers are returning for more stories of alternate histories, messed up futures, and a peek into what might happen in our tech-obsessed culture.

Continue reading ‘Black Mirror’ Season 6 Trailer: Annie Murphy, Aaron Paul, Salma Hayek & More Are On Board For Charlie Brooker’s Dark Satire at The Playlist.

Audiences know Guy Ritchie can direct action, they know he can write quotable, pithy dialogue, and they know he can create memorable characters. However, for the most part, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” either fails to deliver or under-delivers on almost all fronts.

For a film directed, produced, and co-written by Ritchie, it feels more like the result of someone trying to emulate his work and falling short. However, there are moments when the premise’s promise shines through, making that inconsistency additionally frustrating.

Continue reading ‘Operation Fortune’ Review: A Promising Idea And A Great Ensemble Cast Can’t Stop This Romp From Floundering at The Playlist.

Over the years, we’ve seen folks talk quite a bit about Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning drama, “Brokeback Mountain.” Some people consider it a bit of a poster child for Hollywood’s penchant for hiring straight actors to play LGBTQ+ roles. Others look at how the film was a monumental success and paved the way for more LGBTQ+ representation on the big screen. And then there are some, much to the chagrin of the folks involved, who treat “Brokeback Mountain” as a sort of joke.

Continue reading Josh Hartnett Says ‘Black Dahlia’ Prevented Him From Starring In ‘Brokeback Mountain’ With Joaquin Phoenix at The Playlist.

Guy Ritchie is on a tear right now. After the director’s puzzling choice to helm Disney‘s live-action remake of “Aladdin,” he’s released two films in rapid succession: “The Gentlemen,” his most critically acclaimed film since 2002’s “Snatch,” and then this year’s reunion with Jason Statham, “Wrath Of Man.” He also has plenty more projects on the way.

Continue reading ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ Trailer: Guy Ritchie’s Latest Spy Film Pits Jason Statham & Josh Harnett Against Hugh Grant at The Playlist.

The “one last job” trope has been used in crime films for decades. But sometimes, a film can rise above its routine premise and deliver something special. “Ida Red” hopes to be one of those films.

As seen in the trailer, “Ida Red” tells the story of a crime family that is hoping to pull off one last heist to help the matriarch get out of prison. However, as happens typically in this sort of film, the gang is also being pursued by law enforcement, hoping to catch them before they ride off into the sunset.

Continue reading ‘Ida Red’ Trailer: Josh Hartnett, Melissa Leo, Frank Grillo & More Star In John Swab’s Crime Thriller at The Playlist.

John Swab‘s fourth feature film as writer-director-producer, “Ida Red,” (and if it’s your first of his, don’t feel too bad; it well may also be your last) starts with a police stop that turns out to be a heist. On a deserted stretch of highway late at night, a nicely spoken cop, played by Josh Hartnett, asks politely to see a trucker’s manifest. And when the tired, irascible trucker seeks permission to retrieve it from his door compartment, you feel a frisson of worry.

Continue reading ‘Ida Red’ With Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo And Melissa Leo Asks: What if ‘Animal Kingdom’ But Dumb And Oklahoman? [Locarno Review] at The Playlist.

Guy Ritchie is clearly past the point of making major franchise films that have massive budgets and very little creative control. Because with “The Gentlemen” and the upcoming “Five Eyes,” it’s clear that the filmmaker is making features that tend to call back to his earlier works. And this freedom seems to be extending to his casting too.

READ MORE: Aubrey Plaza & Rapper Bugzy Malone Join Jason Statham In Guy Ritchie’s Next Action Film

According to Deadline, Hugh Grant and Josh Hartnett are the latest actors to join Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, and Cary Elwes in the cast for “Five Eyes.” The film is the next film by director Guy Ritchie and tackles the world of global espionage.

Continue reading ‘Five Eyes’: Hugh Grant & Josh Hartnett Join Guy Ritchie’s Cast For Upcoming Spy Thriller at The Playlist.

The trailer for “Most Wanted” brings up two major questions. What the hell happened to Antoine Olivier Pilon after “Mommy?” And whatever happened to Josh Hartnett? Well, the long answer is, Pilon, after his breakout role in the Xavier Dolan film, never seemed to bag any major roles until now. And Harnett is an interesting tale of almost-super-stardom. A young actor offered countless major roles at the height of his fame, including infamously turning down “Superman Returns.” His career never really recovered — though there are some films like “Lucky Number Slevin,” “Pearl Harbor” and perhaps most famously, “Virgin Suicides” to speak of.

Continue reading ‘Most Wanted’ Trailer: ‘Mommy’s’ Antoine Olivier Pilon & Josh Hartnett Track The Drug Deal From Hell at The Playlist.

Superhero movies are filled with all sorts of what-ifs. The development process is such that directors and actors will circle projects and roles but sometimes, for whatever reason, the stars won’t align. However, its the rarer instance in which someone flatly turns something down, but such was the case when Josh Hartnett said no to starring in Christopher Nolan‘s “Batman Begins.”

A couple years back, the actor said that, at the time, the franchise revival “wasn’t for me,” but it was a decision he came to regret, because “relationships were formed in the fire of that first Batman film and I should have been part of the relationship with this guy Nolan, who I felt was incredibly cool and very talented.

Continue reading Josh Hartnett Explains Turning Down ‘Batman Begins’ at The Playlist.

A lot of people have been talking about the big battle on “Game Of Thrones” last night, but there was also some TV news that, for some, might be much bigger than that. Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful” is often overshadowed by the happenings in Westeros (and, more recently, freshman show “Preacher”), but to its fans it’s one of the best things on television, its all-star horror mash-up walking the line between campy and serious well, particularly when anchored by the central performance by Eva Green.

Continue reading ‘Penny Dreadful’ Cancelled After Three Seasons, Eva Green & Creator John Logan Discuss Last Night’s Finale at The Playlist.

Josh Hartnett Explains Why He Turned Down Christopher Nolan's Batman Movies

Continue reading Josh Hartnett Explains Why He Turned Down Christopher Nolan’s Batman Movies at The Playlist.

Josh Hartnett Says He Turned Down 'Superman Returns' As Well As Playing Spider-Man And Batman

Continue reading Josh Hartnett Says He Turned Down ‘Superman Returns’ As Well As Playing Spider-Man And Batman at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For Sam Mendes' Horror Series 'Penny Dreadful' Invites You To A World Of Sex, Blood & Monsters

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10 Actors Hollywood Tried And Failed To Make Happen

Continue reading 10 Actors Hollywood Tried And Failed To Make Happen at The Playlist.

Continue reading Eva Green & Josh Hartnett Join Sam Mendes Produced Horror TV Series ‘Penny Dreadful’ at The Playlist.

Anatomy Of A Tweet Gone Awry AKA Josh Hartnett Won't Be In 'Daredevil' Despite Massive Wishful Thinking

Continue reading Anatomy Of A Tweet Gone Awry AKA Josh Hartnett Won’t Be In ‘Daredevil’ Despite Massive Wishful Thinking at The Playlist.

Roland Joffe's 'Singularity' With Josh Hartnett Runs Into Legal & Financial Woes, May Not Be Completed

Continue reading Roland Joffe’s ‘Singularity’ With Josh Hartnett Runs Into Legal & Financial Woes, May Not Be Completed at The Playlist.

Continue reading First Look At Will Ferrell Dramedy ‘Everything Must Go,’ Film Headed To TIFF at The Playlist.

The last few developments were casting rumors (Natalie Portman as a possible love interest, Josh Harnett, possibly as the mischevious diety brother Loki, Alex Skarsgard potentially as the hero himself, TK) and the fact that the movie’s release date was delayed a year which didn’t sound great on paper (it moved from a summer 2010 release to a summer 2011 release).

Continue reading Kenneth Branagh Says ‘Thor’ Shooting In January at The Playlist.