As often proves the case with talky indies, a single visual flourish in “Downtown Owl” emerges to ensure the film does not become a mere plot and dialogue delivery mechanism. Here, that’s the long lens shot, which flattens out images at the edges to incorporate more information in the visual field. The device serves as a clever translation acknowledging just how jam-packed the hyperliterate prose of the source material’s author, Chuck Klosterman, can be.

Continue reading ‘Downtown Owl’ Review: Lily Rabe’s Talky Indie Can’t Quite Translate Chuck Klosterman To The Screen [Tribeca] at The Playlist.

HBOMax’s “Love & Death,” the new true crime drama from prolific writer David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies”), follows on the heels of last year’s Hulu miniseries “Candy,” which also told the story of Texas housewife Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision”), who in the summer of 1980 was accused of brutally murdering her friend Betty Gore (Lily Rabe, “American Horror Story”) with an axe. 

Where “Candy” was a wonky black comedy about female rage and madness, “Love & Death” is a more straightforward drama that seeks to go deeper and understand the ordinary, small things in life that build up rage within someone and can burst through a moment of madness. 

Continue reading ‘Love & Death’ Review: Elizabeth Olsen & Lily Rabe Are Exquisite In HBO Max’s True Crime Drama at The Playlist.

George Clooney’s acting credits have slightly dwindled over the past five years, but he’s still very much a Hollywood impact player on top of now, also being a husband and family man. He’s directed two films, 2017’s “Suburbicon” and last year’s “Midnight Sky,” where he also starred. He also had a small role in the 2019 Hulu miniseries “Catch-22,” where he directed a handful of episodes and served as executive producer.  

Continue reading ‘The Tender Bar’ Trailer: George Clooney’s Latest Drama With Ben Affleck Hits Amazon Prime in January at The Playlist.

Andrei Tarkovsky was the name on Barry Jenkins‘ lips as the main influence for his television adaptation of “The Underground Railroad.” Not the first name to think of when considering the enormity of Colson Whitehead’s 2016 novel. The story: a combination of the distressing tribulations of an escapee slave girl with a hefty volume of magical realism, doesn’t immediately describe the Russian auteur. And yet, the luminous visuals lensed by cinematographer James Laxton hark back to “Instant Light,” a small collection of polaroid photos taken by Tarkovsky.

Continue reading ‘The Underground Railroad’: Barry Jenkins’ Brings Poetic ‘Instant Light’ To The Ideas Of Black Humanity & Emancipation [Review] at The Playlist.

After the one-two punch of “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” it’s safe to predict that Berry Jenkins will be able to do any project he wants for the rest of his career. Both films are two of the most critically revered films in recent memory. While “Beale Street” didn’t collect as many awards as “Moonlight” (a tall order there), they cement Jenkins’ legacy as one of the great African-American film directors.  

READ MORE: ‘The Underground Railroad’ Teasers: Barry Jenkins Adapts Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel For Amazon

It’s a bit unexpected, then, that Jenkins has chosen a limited series for Amazon Prime as his next project.

Continue reading ‘Underground Railroad’ Teaser Trailer: Barry Jenkins’ Alternate History TV Series Hits Amazon In May at The Playlist.

Remember when movies and TV shows billed as “sleazy” actually lived up to sleaze’s promise? No one else does, either, which at least makes the faux-sordid veneer splashed across Harriet Warner’s “Tell Me Your Secrets” less disappointing: If nothing that aspires to sleaziness manages to get there, then we can forgive one show for half-assing an attempt at dirtbag storytelling. Failure is failure, though, and “Tell Me Your Secrets,” its scattered better merits aside, makes a mess of itself by opting away from grime and leaning hard on a tangle of interwoven plot threads written to emphasize the series’ title.

Continue reading ‘Tell Me Your Secrets’: A Knotty Show That’s Darker Than ‘Game Of Thrones’ [Review] at The Playlist.

The films of Alex Ross Perry don’t have many warm and fuzzy edges. The filmmaker tends to explore the nastier side of human behaviour, as evidenced in films like “Listen Up, Philip” and “Queen Of Earth.” His latest effort, “Golden Exits,” isn’t quite as cutting as those movies, but it revolves around a cast of characters who are certainly supremely self-interested.

Continue reading ‘Golden Exits’ Trailer: Middle-Age & Marriage Implodes In Alex Ross Perry’s Latest at The Playlist.

Robert De Niro‘s last few movies were the dramedy “The Comedian,” the boxing pic “Hands Of Stone,” and the raunchy comedy “Dirty Grandpa,” all of which were poorly received at best. But this spring, it looks like he has a role and film worth his talents with “The Wizard Of Lies.”

READ MORE: Netflix, Amazon, ‘The Irishman’ & The Academy: Oscars In The Age Of Streaming

Helmed by Barry Levinson, who has directed De Niro previously in “Sleepers,” “Wag The Dog,” and “What Just Happened,” the HBO movie will tell the story of Bernie Madoff, the respected financial titan whose world — and those of his clients — came tumbling down when it was revealed he was running a Ponzi scheme.

Continue reading Robert De Niro Is ‘The Wizard Of Lies’ In New Trailer For HBO’s Bernie Madoff Pic at The Playlist.

Only a filmmaker as talented as Alex Ross Perry could make a movie as misbegotten as “Golden Exits.” With his past features “Impolex,” “The Color Wheel,” “Listen Up Philip,” and “Queen of Earth,” Perry has established himself as one of American independent cinema’s best young writer-directors, equally interested in the quality of his images and the richness of his characters.

Continue reading Alex Ross Perry’s ‘Golden Exits’ Is A Collection Of Half-Realized Ideas And Characters [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

The star power has increased, but it looks like Alex Ross Perry is still putting his trademark lo-fi aesthetics on the upcoming “Golden Exits.” His new film, gearing up to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, reteams him with “Listen Up Philip” lead Jason Schwartzman for a New York City story in which an outsider shakes things up.

Emily Browning, Adam Horovitz, Mary-Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, and Chloë Sevigny round out the cast for the film about a young woman from Australia whose presence begins to splinter two families.

Continue reading New Images Of Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny & More In Alex Ross Perry’s ‘Golden Exits’ at The Playlist.

The little gem of an indie dramedy “Miss Stevens” slipped off our radar upon its theatrical release last week, but since it hit VOD on Tuesday, here’s a heads up about the film, and an exclusive clip to boot. Consider this our mini-review.

Julia Hart makes her directing debut with “Miss Stevens,” which she co-wrote with producer Jordan Horowitz. Hart wrote the script for the Civil War drama “The Keeping Room,” which was directed by Daniel Barber, and with “Miss Stevens,” she brings things into the contemporary world.

Continue reading Find Out What’s Going On In This Exclusive Clip From The Delightful Indie Gem ‘Miss Stevens’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Alex Ross Perry Lines Up Emily Browning, Adam Horowitz, Mary Louise Parker, Jason Schwartzman & Chloe Sevigny For ‘Golden Exits’ at The Playlist.

Recap: Things Get Hot In 'American Horror Story: Coven' Episode 5, "Burn, Witch. Burn!"

Continue reading Recap: Things Get Hot In ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ Episode 5, “Burn, Witch. Burn!” at The Playlist.

Recap: Things Get Witchy In First Episode Of 'American Horror Story: Coven'

Continue reading Recap: Things Get Witchy In First Episode Of ‘American Horror Story: Coven’ at The Playlist.

‘Fast & Furious 7,′ Ridley Scott's 'Exodus,' 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' & More Keep Casting

Continue reading ‘Fast & Furious 7,′ Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus,’ ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’ & More Keep Casting at The Playlist.

Continue reading Jude Law Sought To Play Douglas Fairbanks In Mary Pickford Biopic at The Playlist.