After directing the likes of “The Wolverine, “Logan,” and “Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny,” James Mangold has to set something straight: he’s not a fan “multi-movie universe-building.” In fact, he declares such a thing as the “death” and “enemy of storytelling.” Easy for someone to say that kind of IP launched their career, but here we are, in Hollywood’s dismal age of multiversal redundancy.  

Continue reading James Mangold, Director Of ‘Logan’ & ‘Indy 5,’ Says “I Don’t Do Multiverses” & “Multi-Movie Universe-Building” Is “The Death Of Storytelling” at The Playlist.

Look, you can get mad at us for the so-called spoiler, but the reality is this. By putting Dafne Keen’s X-23 character from “Logan” in the just-released final “Deadpool & Wolverine” trailer, Marvel Studios definitely wanted that out there. Hell, they even sanctioned an interview with Entertainment Weekly to talk about it. This is clearly a calculated move on the studio’s part to tease some cameos and suggest that many more are on the way for the upcoming Marvel tentpole.

Continue reading Dafne Keen Says Her X-23 ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Cameo Was Inspired By Andrew Garfield at The Playlist.

Wait, why is Matthew Vaughn on the MCU train? He’s got a Universal “Argylle” spy movie coming out soon and isn’t involved with Marvel or any of the old Marvel/Fox properties. Well, apparently, he knows a little bit about what’s in store, and on a recent episode of BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast, he evidently sang the movie’s praises, going as far as to claim it will “save” the MCU.

Continue reading ‘Deadpool 3’: Matthew Vaughn Says The Film Will “Save The MCU” & Give It A “Jolt” at The Playlist.

With “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny,” James Mangold returns to the blockbuster format he excelled at in the likes of “The Wolverine” and “Logan,” his two most commercially successful films to date. But while Mangold endorses the return of Indy to the big screen, in no small part because he made the franchise’s latest entry, he laments Hugh Jackman‘s return as Wolverine for the upcoming “Deadpool 3.” At the same time, however, he understands Jackman reprising the role was inevitable.

Continue reading James Mangold Laments Hugh Jackman Returning As Wolverine In ‘Deadpool 3’ But Knew It Was Inevitable at The Playlist.

Today’s big news on the Marvel front may foretell more about the MCU‘s future than any mid/post-credits scene has all year.  Disney+ announced today that “Deadpool,” “Deadpool 2,” and “Logan” will arrive on the streaming service in the US tomorrow, July 22. So, why’s this big news? Well, these three films are the first R-Rated films on the streamer, which means their old “No R-Rated Movies” policy is now officially kaput.

Continue reading ‘Deadpool,’ ‘Deadpool 2’ & ‘Logan’ Join Disney+ Marvel Collection As First R-Rated Movies On The Streamer at The Playlist.

While the scream of frustration that welcomed “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” may have folks wary of new “Star Wars” movies, a lot has also broken right for the franchise’s episodic adaptations. “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” were well-received by audiences, and the return of Ewan McGregor in the new “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series is something of a television event.

Continue reading Your Joker Origin Story Could Be ‘The Obi-Wan’ Director Comparing The Series To ‘Joker’ & ‘Logan’ at The Playlist.

Bong Joon-ho is one of the best filmmakers working today, period. There’s no denying that. If you do deny that, then you can turn in your cinephile card to the receptionist down the hall. But just because he’s one of the most acclaimed filmmakers around doesn’t mean that he should line up to do a superhero film. And thankfully, Bong is self-aware enough to know that even if he wanted to, a marriage between him and Marvel is likely not going to work.

Continue reading Bong Joon-Ho Enjoys Some Marvel Films But Doesn’t Think He’s “Suitable” For Directing One at The Playlist.

If there’s one person that can serve as the final arbiter of good taste and quality cinema, it’s writer Damon Lindelof. Okay, that might be a little sarcastic, but the truth is that Lindelof has been one of the most high-profile writers in TV and film for over a decade and knows his way around a big-budget spectacle, a comic book film or TV show, and things that would be considered more auteur.

Continue reading Damon Lindelof Says Some Marvel Films Are Cinema: “To Put All Marvel Movies In The Same Box Doesn’t Seem Fair” at The Playlist.

With the Fox acquisition over at Disney, Marvel Studios now has control over pretty much every character from the comic books (minus Spider-Man). However, that doesn’t mean that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to see brand-new “X-Men” and “Fantastic Four” films anytime soon. When discussing what the Fox merger means for Marvel Studios, there’s quite a bit that’s still up in the air, according to studio president Kevin Feige.

Continue reading Kevin Feige Talks Deadpool’s Future At Marvel Studios: “[The Franchise] Is Working, So Why Would We Change it?” at The Playlist.

Hey, what’s that under the tree? Did Santa come early? Why, it’s a gift! Unwrap that bad boy and click play — it’s the latest episode of Indie Beat. On this installment, I spoke to film critic, screenwriter, comedian, and fellow podcaster Jourdain Searles.

Jourdain began her life in Georgia but soon moved to New York City to pursue her interest in cinema, attending the Master’s program at NYU. Since then she has run her own media criticism website Fishnet Cinema, an outlet solely contributed to by female-identifying writers and focusing on how race, gender, sexuality, and class pervades the various iterations of media we consume.

Continue reading Critic Jourdain Searles Talks Writing Rom-Coms [Indie Beat Podcast] at The Playlist.

Can a great superhero film be a great film, period? That seems to be a debate that has no end in sight. As superhero films become better and better, earning plenty of Oscar buzz, there is a selection of film fans that still look at the genre as less-than. Sure, these films are well-made and have some of the biggest movie stars on the planet, but they are can’t be held in the same esteem as a new film from Paul Thomas Anderson or Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Continue reading Ethan Hawke Wants Everyone To Know Even A Great Superhero Film Is Still Just A Superhero Film at The Playlist.

James Mangold has had a lot to say during his pre-Oscars press. Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Logan,” the filmmaker has railed against post-credits scenes, and explained how he tried to make his superhero movie more like an Ozu film. We’ll leave it up to others to decide if he succeeded on that front; I can’t recall any Ozu film with the same amount of bloody mayhem that’s in “Logan.” However, it may surprise you to learn (or actually, maybe not) that Mangold has some very strong opinions about on-screen violence too.

Continue reading James Mangold Shares His “Misgivings About Violence And PG Ratings” at The Playlist.

Lately, James Mangold — the co-writer and director of the Oscar nominated “Logan“— has been getting pretty testy about superhero movies. Most specifically, the filmmaker has railing against “fucking embarrassing” post-credits scenes, explaining in detail why he hates them (even though “The Wolverine” has a mid-credits scene). On a larger level, he doesn’t want “Logan” to be lumped into the same category of superhero films that are hitting the big screen every other month.

Continue reading James Mangold Talks ‘Logan’: “I Tried To Make An Ozu Film With Mutants” at The Playlist.

As you watch an Academy Award-nominated film, you can clearly notice the acting, editing, set design, and a variety of other categories that end up getting nominated. However, as you watch the film, there’s one thing you can’t judge – the screenplay. Sure, you can listen to dialogue, and understand the story’s structure, but for the most part, the screenplay is a mystery.

For those hoping to dive headfirst into the screenplays of many of the 2018 Oscar nominated films, No Film School has you covered.

Continue reading Here’s Your Chance To Read This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Screenplays at The Playlist.

The Art Directors Guild announced the nominations for the 2018 awards and even with three different film categories there were some notable omissions.  Potential Oscar nominees “Call Me By Your Name,” “Phantom Thread,” “The Greatest Showman” and “Mother!” were all snubbed while surprise contenders “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Logan” (in the Contemporary Film category, no less) made the cut.

“Shape of Water,” “Dunkirk” among likely 2018 Production Design Oscar Nominees

Among the television nominees “The Handmaid’s Tale” earned two nominations, Netflix earned four out of the five One-Hour Fantasy or Period Series nominations and, remarkably, the Golden Globes telecast was recognized while the Academy Awards was not.

Continue reading ‘Black Mirror,’ Lady Gaga, ‘Shape Of Water’ Among 2018 Art Director’s Guild Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

The Writer’s Guild of America announced the film and documentary nominees for the 2018 WGA Awards and many of the expected nominees made the cut. “Lady Bird,” “The Shape of Water,” “Get Out,” “I, Tonya” and “The Big Sick” were nominated in the Original Screenplay category.  “Call Me By Your Name,” “The Disaster Artist,” “Logan,” “Molly’s Game” and “Mudbound” all earned Adapted Screenplay nominations.

Continue reading ‘Get Out,’ ‘Logan,’ ‘The Big Sick,’ ‘Lady Bird’ Among 2018 WGA Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

As far as our sociopolitical environment is concerned, 2017 has been a dumpster fire inside a locked building full of orphans. But as we have witnessed with the tumultuous period of the 1970s, such times usually result in daring, transgressive, and sometimes even revolutionary artistic work. Therefore, it makes sense for this year to provide some of the most original and exhilarating films to be released from all demographics of genre, budget, studio, etc… Overall, 2017 feels like a major turning point in how filmmakers and studios approach their craft, and how audiences consume it.

Continue reading Oktay Ege Kozak’s Top 10 Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

2017 was something of a mixed bag for Hollywood at the box office. After last year’s record domestic receipts, $11.37 billion, it was likely that there would be a decrease in revenues and tickets sold overall.  But by the end of the year, returns should come close to 2015’s $11.12 billion take. Sure, the tickets sold won’t crack 1.3 billion and we’ll admit that’s slightly concerning.  However, many people forget that that was the norm in the ‘80s and early ‘90s – and it has already happened twice in this decade.

Continue reading Best & Worst Of The 2017 Box Office at The Playlist.

Santa Claus may have come and gone, but in the film world, everyone is still making their list and checking it twice. There’s just a few days left on the calendar for 2017, and everyone is sharing their rundown of the best the year had to offer at the movies.

Over at IMDB and Rotten Tomates, they’ve crunched the numbers to determine the “best” films of the year. IMDB obviously leans very blockbuster, and seems more subject to films that underwhelmed at the box office and received mixed to thoroughly awful reviews, but were pushed by fanboys (here’s looking at you “Alien: Covenant” and “Justice League“).

Continue reading IMDB & Rotten Tomatoes Top Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

As much as we evidently love you, our glorious readers (why else would we toil so hard over such a breathtaking array of year-end features, for one thing), there is perhaps a group of people we love even more. And that is our contributors, who throughout the year give The Playlist its inimitable, sometimes cacophonous but always lively voice, and who help us to deliver the goods to you every day in the manner of a vigilant cat laying the eviscerated mouse of the day’s hot movie topics at your feet.

Continue reading The Most Underrated & Overrated Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.

Cinema is, quite literally, action, and while some of the snootier critics might look down on the action movie, there are few purer cinematic pleasures than looking at a great set-piece sequence, from “The General” to “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Technology might have made jaw-dropping spectacle easier than ever to pull off, but a summer where CGI behemoths were outshone by more modest, old-fashioned movies reminded us that thrills come from craft more than they come from blowing up a bajillion robots (though, when done right, the latter can be fun too).

Continue reading The Best Action Sequences Of 2017 at The Playlist.

In comparing “Logan” and “Children of Men,” analysis deviates from the plot and performances to a deeper, more intrinsic understanding of what both films are saying and how they say it. With similar main character story arcs, James Mangold and Alfonso Cuarón’s films bear striking similarities in how their scripts lead to the culmination of a moral and spiritual journey.

Continue reading Explore The Similarities Of ‘Logan’ & ‘Children Of Men’ at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 20 films that will be officially considered for this year’s Best Visual Effects Academy Award.  Many of the expected contenders made the cut including “Dunkirk,” “The Shape of Water,” “Okja,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Blade Runner: 2049,” “War for the Planet of the Apes” and “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.”

The only notable omissions were “It” (although horror rarely plays with this branch), “Downsizing” and “Mother!”

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the preliminary shortlist.

Continue reading ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘Okja,’ ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Make First Cut In Oscar’s 2018 Visual Effects Race at The Playlist.

December is here, and that only means one thing at Playlist HQ: just a month to go until the release of that horse soldier movie. But if it meant two things, it would be that it begins our annual binge-look at the year in film and TV gone by. Over the coming weeks between now and New Year’s Eve, we’ll be examining 2017 in cinematic entertainment from every angle, from our least favorite movies to the best in the small-screen, and even looking forward to what’s to come.

Continue reading The Best Movie Posters Of 2017 at The Playlist.

Sir Patrick Stewart is still waiting for his invite to the Dolby Theater and we’re (probably) running out of time.  The legendary star of stage, little screen and big screen is a spry 77-years-old and while he’s as busy as ever it’s always worth noting that Father Time waits for now one.  Stewart, who is a Grammy winner, Golden Globe and Emmy nominee, hasn’t had a lot of opportunities for award season consideration on the big screen over the years but there’s a chance that changes with James Mangold‘s “Logan.”

Stewart reprised the role of Professor X for likely the last time in a Wolverine film that turned out to be more grounded and realistic than any previous 20th Century Fox “X-Men” installment. 

Continue reading Patrick Stewart Revisits ‘Logan’ And The Never Ending Goodbye To Professor X [Podcast] at The Playlist.