Continue reading 72-Minute Screenwriters Roundtable With Kenneth Lonergan, Tom Ford, Pedro Almodovar, And More at The Playlist.

The Disney/Lucasfilm stratagem is easy: release a “Star Wars” movie every year and watch the money roll in. And while the stand-alone film “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” wasn’t as much of a gangbusters flashpoint as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was — it was never going to be of course; it wasn’t the first ‘Star Wars’ film in 33 years to feature the original cast — it’s still done remarkably well for itself (don’t be fooled by any of the conservative nitwits who think their #DumpRogueOne campaign made the slightest dent at all).

Continue reading ‘Rogue One’ Goes Intergalactic During Christmas Weekend While ‘Assassin’s Creed’ & ‘Passengers’ Struggle [Box Office] at The Playlist.

There’s an old saying at the Playlist Mansion: you do not truly know a person until you’ve asked them to chose the one film they feel was most overrated and the one they feel was most underrated in any given year. It’s not very catchy. But it is a credo with a surprising amount of wisdom in it, as well as the welcome potential for our beloved, esteemed and generally faultless contributors to make complete public fools of themselves.

Continue reading The Most Overrated & Underrated Films Of 2016 at The Playlist.

If you’re looking for a year end list that marries the high brow choices of Cahiers Du Cinema with some mainstream fare, then Sight & Sounds top 20 films of 2016 will be a real treat. Their list is arthouse heavy, but isn’t afraid to acknowledge genuinely well-made multiplex fare.

Topping the list is Maren Ade‘s “Toni Erdmann,” a movie that made a huge impact at Cannes, and looks like it’s going to remembered very well in the month ahead as critics and publications make their annual tallies.

Continue reading Sight & Sound’s Top 20 Films Of 2016 Topped By ‘Toni Erdmann,’ Includes ‘La La Land,’ ‘Manchester By The Sea’ & More at The Playlist.

Good gravy, Marie! It’s gonna be an awfully busy final month of 2016 at the movies. Not that we should be surprised, as this time of year is often overstuffed as studios make their final play for awards season hopefuls as the Oscars draw near.

Do keep in mind that several of the entries in this month’s loaded final list are debuting in limited release, and won’t go wide until across the country until January.

Continue reading 15 Films To See In December at The Playlist.

If the Cahiers Du Cinema offers the years snootiest top ten list, John Waters always has the most fun with his. Each year he shares the best films he saw with Artforum, and the choices are truly driven by his particular tastes, and not the pressure of popular consensus.

That’s why in 2016, Trey Edward Shults‘ “Krisha” made the top slot with Waters saying that “other people’s hell can sometimes be so much fun” in this dysfunctional family drama.

Continue reading John Waters’ Top 10 Films Of 2016 Includes ‘Krisha,’ ‘Elle’ & ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ at The Playlist.

December is almost here, which means top ten lists are going to start coming hard, but few of the them will be as eclectic as the one from Cahiers du Cinema. The cinephile publication always goes its own way (Nanni Moretti‘s “Mia Madre” was their best film of 2015, for example), but this year, few will disagree or question their top pick.

Maren Ade‘s critically acclaimed “Toni Erdmann” came out victorious, and hopefully that will put the movie on a few more radars as it gears up to open in limited release next month.

Continue reading Cahiers Du Cinema’s Top 10 Films Of 2016 at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 85 countries submitting films for the 2017 Academy Award for Foreign Language Film, and once again, it looks like it will be a very competitive race.

Notable entries include France (“Elle“), Germany (“Toni Erdmann“), Romania (“Sieranevada“), Mexico (“Desierto“), Denmark (“Land Of Mine“) and Iran (“The Salesman“). 

Continue reading 85 Countries Are Officially In The Oscar Mix For A Very Competitive Foreign Language Film Race at The Playlist.

The phrase “the death of cinema” gets thrown around every few months, but there’s little to worry about. And while the pundits will continue to ring the death knell over and over again, this week’s upcoming New York Film Festival is irrefutable proof that cinema is alive and healthier than ever.

The 54th annual New York Film Festival kicks off this Friday and as usual, the stellar programming is a top-shelf selection of artful and intelligently-made cinema.

Continue reading 14 Must-See Films At The New York Film Festival at The Playlist.

Although it has already opened in several territories and continues to roll out, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar’s latest film “Julieta” will not be released in the U.S. until December 21st. Yet the filmmaker is already charting his next two films.

Speaking on the latest Empire podcast, the filmmaker discussed many topics, including Todd Haynes’ “Carol” and Pablo Larrain’s “El Club,” his favorite films of 2015.

Continue reading Pedro Almodovar Talks About His More Sexual Version Of ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ Reveals He Voted ‘Carol’ For Best Picture & More at The Playlist.

Let’s face it, 2016 has so far been sort of a crappy year for movies. It’s been a particularly bad summer blockbuster season, with almost everything coming up short. But even the indie world has been quieter than usual, with some dizzying highs — “The Witch,” “Embrace Of The Serpent,” “Green Room,” and “The Lobster” are among featured on our list of the best of the year so far — but some disappointments too.

Continue reading The 50 Most Anticipated Films Of The Fall Season at The Playlist.

With the Toronto International Film Festival and Venice Film Festival getting their respective lineups solidified, now it’s time for the New York Film Festival to unveil what will be coming to the Big Apple this fall. The fest has already teased a trio of great pictures, with Ava DuVernay‘s documentary “The 13th” to open proceedings, Mike Mills‘ “20th Century Women” screening as the Centerpiece selection, while James Gray‘s “The Lost City Of Z” will close it out.

Continue reading 2016 New York Film Festival Lineup Adds Films From Barry Jenkins, Kelly Reichardt, Kenneth Lonergan, Much More at The Playlist.

“I have a few different projects right now and one of them is in English — for the first time. It’s based on a story and it’s pretty far along actually, but I don’t want to talk about it too much right now because everyone will keep asking me about it,” Pedro Almodóvar teased way back in 2011 about his future projects, when he was doing the rounds for his sharp edged “The Skin I Live In.” At the time, we figured he was talking about “Mina,” his mooted biopic about the Italian singer (we still hope that one happens).

Continue reading Meryl Streep Was Originally Going To Star In Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

There is already a fascinating tension at work in the very concept of Pedro Almodovar, one of modern international cinema’s greatest melodramatists, taking on a story inspired by the coolly incisive, vehemently character-based works of Canadian Nobel Prize-winner Alice Munro. And if the resulting film, “Julieta” feels neither wholly Munro nor typically Almodovar in final execution, there is still a very compelling energy given out by the collision.

Continue reading Cannes Review: Pedro Almodovar (Mostly) Returns To Form With ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

Pedro Almodovar has long been known as a filmmaker who creates great roles for women, and his next film should be particularly exciting, as it offers what sounds like an epic story centered around one female protagonist. And with its Cannes Film Festival bow on the horizon, a couple of new peeks at the movie have landed.

Emma Suárez and Adriana Ugarte lead the drama which follows the life of Julieta, from 1985 to 2015, and everything both good and bad that comes her way. 

Continue reading Cannes: 2 Clips From Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Check Out Over 50 New Images From Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

Watch: New Full Length International Trailer For Pedro Almodóvar's 'Julieta'

Continue reading Watch: New Full Length International Trailer For Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Colorful New Poster For Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Julieta’ at The Playlist.

Pedro Almodovar Renames 'Silencio' To Avoid Confusion With Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'

Continue reading Pedro Almodovar Renames ‘Silencio’ To Avoid Confusion With Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ at The Playlist.

First Poster For Pedro Almodovar's 'Silencio' Unveiled

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First Look At Pedro Almodovar's 'Silencio'

Continue reading First Look At Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Silencio’ at The Playlist.

Cast And Plot Details Emerge For Pedro Almodovar's 'Silencio'

Continue reading Cast And Plot Details Emerge For Pedro Almodovar’s ‘Silencio’ at The Playlist.

Pedro Almodovar's Next Film Is 'Silencio'

Continue reading Pedro Almodovar’s Next Film Is ‘Silencio’ at The Playlist.