TORONTO – Sometimes films with the best intentions just doesn’t come together. A great cast, a notable filmmaker, and fine source material don’t always coalesce. That’s certainly the case with Richard Eyre’s “Allelujah,” which debuted at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival this weekend.

READ MORE: “Bros Review”: Billy Eichner’s witty gay from com works [TIFF]

Based on Alan Bennett’s 2018 play of the same name, the ensemble piece is set at The Bath, a fictional Yorkshire, England hospital whose services have slowly been widdled away by the British government.

Continue reading ‘Allelujah’ Review: Not Enough Judi Dench In This Hospital Drama Searching For Urgency [TIFF] at The Playlist.

TORONTO – Before “Belfast” won the Toronto International Film Festival’s prestigious People’s Choice Award, took audience awards at three other fall festivals or landed 11 British Independent Film Awards nominations, Kenneth Branagh and Jamie Dornan sat down with The Playlist to talk about the former’s autobiographical tear-jerker. Masked in a Toronto hotel suite the morning following its TIFF premiere, the conversation occurred during a calm before a growing awards season storm.

Continue reading Kenneth Branagh & Jamie Dornan On ‘Belfast’ And Judi Dench’s Immediate “Yes” [Interview] at The Playlist.

A year ago, Youn Yuh-jung was a presumed frontrunner or the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. The “Minari” star eventually took the honor after dominating the precursor awards. 2022 is shaping up to be a significantly different beast, with only four likely nominees so far, “Belfast’s” Caitriona Balfe, “The Power of the Dog’s” Kirsten Dunst, “West Side Story’s” Ariana DeBose, and “King Richard’s” Aunjanue Ellis, and no clear winner.

Continue reading Best Supporting Actress Oscars 2022 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

Directors mining their lives for a story is nothing new, but it’s always exciting to see that premise connect with viewers beyond its maker. Such were the audience reactions to Kenneth Branagh’s stirring revisit to the Belfast of his childhood: there were sobs, gasps, and so much laughter. Opening with a colorful travel ad-like introduction to today’s Belfast (Public art! Glorious old buildings!) Branagh moves into a black and white version of Belfast in 1969, when the life of a young 9-year-old boy named Buddy (Jude Hill) is disrupted by the Protestant violence targeting his Catholic neighbors.

Continue reading Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Belfast’ Is A Stirring Coming-of-Age Portrait With Magnificent Performances [Telluride Review] at The Playlist.

You could say that writer/director/actor Kenneth Branagh has a facility easing between high and low art. That is to say, he’s known to make delightful capers and mysteries for more mainstream audiences like “Thor,” “Murder On The Orient Express,” “Artemis Fowl,” and “Death On The Nile,” but he’s also obviously known for his stage work, his expertise with Shakespeare and more personal indies like Focus Features’ upcoming drama “Belfast” which has its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival tonight.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ Trailer: Kenneth Branagh’s Coming Of Age Tale Features Caitriona Balfe, Jamie Dornan & More at The Playlist.

How to describe “Blithe Spirit,” a play that switches genres more times than one can count? Is it a comedy, a drama, a romance, a murder mystery? Is it art or exploitation? It’s, actually, all of the above.

Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” is a whole lot of genre: a screwball comedy about paranormal activity, dressed as a period piece. The play has been staged numerous times on the West End and on Broadway, adapted as a musical (“High Spirits“) and filmed as a movie in 1945, directed by David Lean.

Continue reading ‘Blithe Spirit’ Is A Wildly Uneven, Repetitive Ghost Of A Comedy [Review] at The Playlist.

What happens if someone is accused of a crime they didn’t commit? One teacher sees the consequences of an oncoming war as they face those serious allegations in “Six Minutes to Midnight.” The film encapsulates a world on the brink of World War II: cautious, anxious, judgemental, and terrifying.

READ MORE: ‘Come True’ Trailer: IFC Midnight Sci-Fi Sleep Paralysis Thriller Opens March 12

At the forefront of the project is Eddie Izzard; over the years her work has grown to include credits in numerous films and series as well as a successful writing career.

Continue reading ‘Six Minutes To Midnight’ Trailer: Judi Dench & Eddie Izzard Star In This WWII Thriller at The Playlist.

If acting is part journalism, part investigation, and part psychoanalysis of the character, actor Rebecca Hall embodies them all. Throughout her career, which began early on with the big bang of Christopher Nolan’s “The Prestige”—which she bagged just on the strength of a video audition she sent in herself— and then quickly lead to head-turning performances “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” “Frost/Nixon,” Nicole Holofcener’s “Please Give,” Ben Affleck’s “The Town,” Joel Edgerton’s “The Gift,” and Antonio Campos’ startling “Christine”—she has demonstrated the uncanny ability to be charming, but also emotional, vulnerable and absolutely convincing in everything she does.

Continue reading ‘Tales From The Loop’: Rebecca Hall Talks About Her Attraction To Quiet Melancholy; The Practical Jokes Of Judi Dench & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

We should all strive to be more like Dame Judi Dench. And I don’t mean in the way that we should all have goals that include being seven-time Oscar-nominated actress (winning 1 trophy) that is revered the world over for incredible performances in dozens of films. Obviously, that would be a fine goal to have. But what I intended is that we should all have the save “no fucks to give” attitude that the good Dame clearly is enjoying right now.

Continue reading Judi Dench Says Her ‘Cats’ Costume Looks “Like Five Foxes F*cking On My Back” at The Playlist.

Last year, Disney‘s “Artemis Fowl” was scheduled to hit theaters August 9, 2019. That obviously changed and the movie—based on the beloved YA fantasy novel by Eoin Colfer is now hitting theaters eight months later in May. That’s a pretty big push, but Disney has set a much more summer-friendly date for the film, so maybe reshoots or whatever the problem was, helped.

READ MORE: The 100 Best Films Of The Decade

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who has a difficult directorial career to pin down (recent films include “Thor” and “Murder On The Orient Express“) “Artemis Fowl” centers on Artemis Fowl II (Ferdia Shaw), a young Irish criminal mastermind who kidnaps the fairy LEPrecon officer Captain Holly Short (Lara McDonnell) for ransom to fund the search for his missing father in order to restore the family fortune.

Continue reading ‘Artemis Fowl’ Trailer: After A Long Delay, Kenneth Branagh’s Disney Film Arrives This May at The Playlist.

It appears the “Cats” trainwreck is not stopping anytime soon. while the unfinished VFX issue gets worse, including a shot of Dame Judi Dench‘s very human hand appearing on screen‘s , Dench now seems to have a very interesting take on her character, and it’s impossible to tell if she’s being serious.

READ MORE: Universal Appears To Be Tinkering With The ‘Cats’ VFX Even After Its Release

Dench plays Old Deutoronomy, a wise old cat who serves as a paternal figure for the other felines of the Jellicle tribe.

Continue reading ‘Cats’ Continues To Defy Logic, Judi Dench Says Her Character Is Transgender at The Playlist.

December 2019 will go down in history as the fateful month when theater was found bludgeoned to death, its shimmery innards spilling out in streams of gold. The killer, authorities discovered promptly, was one Tom Hooper, a lackey for Universal Studios. The victim’s bloodstains spelled one word — “Cats.” It was a thorough massacre, plotted over years of production and funded with $95 million.

READ MORE: The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s]

The problem is not that “Cats” makes no sense (a plot has been strung together from the incomprehensible stage production) nor that the performances are mediocre (most of them are quite good).

Continue reading ‘Cats’: Tom Hooper’s Adaptation Of A Broadway Classic Is A CGI Nightmare [Review] at The Playlist.

Everyone’s been living in denial the past few months, trying to forget that collective nightmare that was the first “Cats” trailer. Though on occasion someone would write some news piece trying to convince us that it was an actual movie, we still considered the sight of James Corden as a fur-tuxedo-wearing cat person as a collective nightmare. That all changed when Universal Pictures decided to go ahead and release a second trailer for “Cats,” reminding you once and for all that this is a real motion picture that is coming to theaters later this year.

Continue reading New ‘Cats’ Trailer: Make The Jellicle Choice This Holiday Season at The Playlist.

Among Universal Pictures slate for 2019 is a film quite a number of people have been pawing at for more details. It’s Tom Hooper‘s adaptation of the Tony Award-winning, Broadway sensation “Cats.” The announcement of the film’s production generated conversation, quips, and a few memes throughout the internet. But with a cast ready to sink their claws into the material, Hooper and Universal may just have the right mix for this musical feline fiasco.

Continue reading ‘Cats’ Trailer: Tom Hooper’s Musical With Taylor Swift & Idris Elba, Finally Bears Its Songs & Claws at The Playlist.

Like most of this season so far, the Supporting Actress race is full of longshots and “Well, if this happens…” contenders.  Maybe Laura Dern and Jennifer Lopez have the most momentum going for them for their roles in “Marriage Story” and “Hustlers,” but at this point it feels like a coin flip all around. [Updated September 17]

IN THE CONVERSATION
Annette Bening, “The Report”
Judi Dench, “Cats”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Jennifer Hudson, “Cats”
Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Nicole Kidman, “Bombshell”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
Taylor Russell, “Waves”

LONGSHOTS
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Julie Hagerty, “Marriage Story”
Tilda Swinton, “The Souvenir”
Zhao Shuzhen, “The Farewell”
Emma Thompson, “Late Night”
Laura Dern, “Little Women”
Penelope Cruz, “Pain and Glory”
Octavia Spencer, “Luce”
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Waves”

More Oscar predictions 

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Director

Continue reading 2020 Best Supporting Actress Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

There seem to be plenty of folks still out there defending the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, and the other Hollywood figures that were subjects of #MeToo accusations. While the majority appear to support the idea that these men should be held accountable for their actions, there are others that have voiced their concerns that these allegations and stories are taking away from the work these people contributed to film and TV.

Continue reading Judi Dench Says Accusations Against Kevin Spacey & Harvey Weinstein Shouldn’t Take Away From Their Previous Work at The Playlist.

By all accounts, Dame Judi Dench seems to be an upstanding member of society. Of course, she’s also an acting legend and one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood. But in the new film “Red Joan,” she plays a woman that is being accused of being a communist spy, and it’s a role that you probably wouldn’t expect the lovely Dench to play.

READ MORE: Judi Dench Briefly Enlivens The Dreary Spy-Jinks Of ‘Red Joan’ [San Sebastian Review]

In the first trailer for the film, we meet Joan Stanley, an older lady with a family and a humble life in the UK.

Continue reading ‘Red Joan’ Trailer: Dame Judi Dench/Sophie Cookson May Or May Not Be A Spy For Communist Russia at The Playlist.

If you’re director Kenneth Branagh and you are searching for the fierce commander of a fairy police force, who do you turn to? Do you go for some action hero? Perhaps someone with some gravitas and a commanding voice? Well, if you’re Branagh, the director of Disney’s upcoming “Artemis Fowl,” you hire 84-year-old Dame Judi Dench.

That’s right, the acclaimed, iconic actress is a fierce fairy commander in the upcoming adaptation of the popular children’s book series.

Continue reading ‘Artemis Fowl’ First Look: Dame Judi Dench Is A Fairy Commander & We’re Not Sure What To Think at The Playlist.

When we heard that Adam McKay’s “Vice” was sneaking in late to the awards season, we assumed that was going to be the last bombshell film to hit theaters before people could start making their Oscar picks. But here comes Kenneth Branagh and Sony Pictures Classics with a truly late addition to the awards season, with his Shakespeare biopic titled “All is True.”

However, as seen in the new trailer, “All is True” isn’t your typical Shakespeare biopic.

Continue reading ‘All Is True’ Trailer: Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare Biopic Comes Just In Time For Awards Consideration at The Playlist.

An arms race to create the next big fantasy series is well underway. With the “Harry Potter” franchise in the rearview mirror, the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise faltering, and “Game of Thrones” on its final season, a fantasy void is opening. To fill this gap, Amazon is moving forward with producing content for “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Wheel of Time,” Netflix is remaking “The Chronicles of Narnia,” and Lionsgate is producing both a television and movie series off of “The Kingkiller Chronicles.”

Never one to shy away from a fight, Disney is also entering the fray with an adaptation of the “Artemis Fowl” book series, a series more in the vein of “Harry Potter” than the other aforementioned titles but still in the fantasy genre.

Continue reading ‘Artemis Fowl’ Trailer: Kenneth Branagh Conjures Magic In This Young Adult Fantasy Series at The Playlist.

What we have with “Red Joan,” British theater director Trevor Nunn‘s adaptation of the inspired-by-a-true-story novel by Jennie Rooney, is a rare case of the old-lady, modern-day framing device being more fun and compelling than the actual story, or as I like to call it, a reverse-“Titanic.” The events that loosely inspired the novel (so loosely that it’s arguable whether Melita Norwood, the real-life counterpart of the eponymous Joan should be mentioned at all, let alone trundled out in Serious End Titles to give the project some legitimacy) were most extraordinary for the way they ended: with an 87-year-old Norwood confessing to decades of treason to the assembled media on the front lawn of her suburban English home.

Continue reading Judi Dench Briefly Enlivens The Dreary Spy-Jinks Of ‘Red Joan’ [San Sebastian Review] at The Playlist.

On a rather dreary day, Roger Michell (“Notting Hill,” “Hyde Park on Hudson”) and his crew sat down with Dames Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, and Judi Dench, and oh, what a joy it is to watch. Audiences familiar with the women should know what to expect with Michell’s delightful and touching “Tea with the Dames.” Bringing together the four extraordinary actresses, one could only hope for wisdom to be imparted and talent to be recognized.

Continue reading ‘Tea With The Dames’ Is A Delightful, Touching Retrospective On Four Living Legends [Review] at The Playlist.

When considering Best Actress contenders one name has been dropped from the conversation, “Victoria and Abdul’s” Judi Dench.  The Oscar winner and seven-time nominee hasn’t made it to the Dolby Theater since 2014 for “Philomena,” but when she has a starring role she usually has a good chance of being a fixture during the season.  So, if she ends up with a SAG Award nomination in a few weeks just remember she’s also one of the few actors who have earned three nominations in one year from her peers in the guild. 

Continue reading Jeff Bridges Can’t Stop Calling 2017 Kirk Douglas Award Honoree Judi Dench ‘James Doodie’ at The Playlist.

Now seems like a good time for a new take on “Murder on the Orient Express.” Sidney Lumet had memorably adapted the Agatha Christie novel (originally published in 1934) back in 1974 (Ingrid Bergman won an Oscar for her role in the film) but a more modern take on both the story’s classic whodunit mechanics and its cast of racially diverse characters could have been an absolute treat.

Continue reading ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ Is A Joyless Ride [Review] at The Playlist.

A lot of movie stars are on a train. Someone gets murdered. The natural question: Whodunit?

Probably Willem Dafoe.

Esteemed actor-director Kenneth Branagh revives yet another long-forgotten piece of IP with the upcoming Agatha Christie adaptation, “Murder on the Orient Express.” No, I don’t know why either. Here’s the official synopsis for “Murder on the Orient Express”:

What starts out as a lavish train ride through Europe quickly unfolds into one of the most stylish, suspenseful and thrilling mysteries ever told.

Continue reading ‘Murder On The Orient Express’ Trailer: All Aboard For Star-Studded Mystery at The Playlist.