Welcome back to my very irregularly scheduled podcast Deep Focus, where I, Playlist.net Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez, talk long or long-ish with different filmmakers, directors, writers, and actors. Today, my guest is none other than comedian/actor and podcaster extraordinaire Marc Maron. Maron has a new HBO special out, available now on HBO Max, called “Marc Maron: From Bleak To Dark.”

I’ve been deeply under the weather, so let me apologize upfront for this pod being so delayed.

Continue reading Marc Maron Talks HBO Special From ‘Bleak To Dark,’ Lynn Shelton & “The Evolving Capacity For Empathy” at The Playlist.

Marc Maron might be one of the most famous podcasters in the world, but let’s not forget he cut his teeth and made his career in stand-up. His terrific new HBO Original stand-up comedy special “Marc Maron: From Bleak To Dark” debuted this past weekend and is now available to stream on HBO Max. The special is funny, insightful, and empathetic, and also cuts to the core of today’s political discourse—Maron has had it with the conspiracy theorists, the Qanon heads, the wackos, and the galaxy brain thinkers, and he takes them all to task.

Continue reading Marc Maron Shares Details On The “Bleak” Script He Co-Wrote With Lynn Shelton & Says He’s Still Considering Making It at The Playlist.

It’s been months since the surprise passing of filmmaker Lynn Shelton. And though the loss came in a year that has seen no shortage of loss, Shelton’s death devastated many in the film industry, including her friends, colleagues, and of course, fans. And for Mark Duplass, who probably takes pride in being all three for Shelton, her loss is still being felt today, leading to him writing a beautiful tribute for The Guardian about his dear friend and collaborator.

Continue reading Mark Duplass Pens Loving Tribute To Lynn Shelton & “Her Little Cocoon Of Love, Adoration And Support” at The Playlist.

READ MORE: Marc Maron Remembers His Partner, Lynn Shelton, In Emotional New Podcast

The special aired last night on YouTube and is now available to stream.

Continue reading Watch The Duplass Brothers, Emily Blunt & More Celebrate Lynn Shelton In ‘Her Effortless Brilliance’ at The Playlist.

Independent film lost a guiding light this month with the sudden passing of filmmaker Lynn Shelton. Although many mainstream viewers are probably more familiar with her TV directing credits (“New Girl,” “Mad Men,” “GLOW”), the legacy she leaves in indie cinema cannot be understated. 

From 2006 to 2019, Shelton created a multi-film roadmap for considering the dimensionality of place (often Seattle) and deep personal meaning in the mundane.

Continue reading Remembering Lynn Shelton, Master Of The Comedic Heart-To-Heart [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.

As many of you already know, filmmaker Lynn Shelton tragically passed away over the weekend due to a blood disorder. Over the weekend, on social media, there were tons of colleagues that were paying their respects to her. However, we had yet to hear from Marc Maron, the actor and comedian that not only starred in Shelton’s most recent film, “Sword of Trust,” but was actually her real-life partner. Well, Maron just broke his silence and released a new episode of his WTF Podcast, where he discussed the death of Shelton.

Continue reading Marc Maron Remembers His Partner, Lynn Shelton, In Emotional New Podcast at The Playlist.

READ MORE: ‘Sword Of Trust’ Trailer: Lynn Shelton’s Latest Tackles Conspiracy Theories & Fake News With Her Signature Comedic Flair

Shelton was an acclaimed director, writer, producer, actor, and editor whose naturalistic work helped make her one of the leading voices of American independent film, popularizing the “mumblecore” genre.

Continue reading ‘Sword Of Trust,’ ‘Humpday,’ Filmmaker Lynn Shelton Passes Away At Age 54 at The Playlist.

The whole COVID-19 pandemic lockdown situation is affecting just about everyone in the US, right now. No matter if you’re a health worker, a grocery store clerk, a financial executive, or a filmmaker, this new situation is hitting us all in different ways. And in the case of director Lynn Shelton and comedian Marc Maron, who are not only professional collaborators but also real-life partners, the lockdown has given them time to dust off a partially-written script for a new film and see if they can get it finished.

Continue reading Marc Maron & Lynn Shelton Are Co-Writing A New “Domestic Dramedy” Film at The Playlist.

Arson, and all its symbolic fiery rage, is an unspeakable crime. But when committed with purposeful incendiary malice, it’s an unimaginably personal agony and intimate loss for victims. This is the emotional catastrophe where Hulu‘s new series “Little Fires Everywhere” concludes. But like so many framing devices that exploit and tease their climax, it’s the catalyzing spark where it begins— an arson, as suburban mom Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon), watches in horror as her beloved home and all it symbolizes in her affluent community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, burns to the ground.

Continue reading ‘Little Fires Everywhere’: Burning Emotional Blisters Give Way To Combustible Suburban Mom Melodrama [Review] at The Playlist.

Reese Witherspoon may have found her niche on prestige cable drama. After teaming with Nicole Kidman, to unite their production companies to bring “Big Little Lies” to life on HBO—and subsequently become a massive hit in—the actor/producer is back with “Little Fires Everywhere” based on the novel by Celeste Ng. But she’s got a new partner this time in co-producers, co-star Kerry Washington.

Continue reading ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ Trailer: Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington Lead Intertwined Families With Dark Secrets at The Playlist.

What if there was an item that could prove that the Confederacy won the Civil War? If you are in possession of such an item, you may want to sell it for a pretty penny because in today’s political climate, even if the item isn’t real proof, people will believe it and do anything in their power to get it. And hell, that would be the basis of a really fun comedy, right? Lynn Shelton’s “Sword of Trust” sure thinks so.

Continue reading ‘Sword Of Trust’ Trailer: Lynn Shelton’s Latest Tackles Conspiracy Theories & Fake News With Her Signature Comedic Flair at The Playlist.

If you’re a regular reader of The Playlist, odds are you’re familiar with the work of filmmaker Lynn Shelton. The independent director really broke out in 2009, thanks to her film “Humpday.” And since then, Shelton has continued making a name for herself in projects like “Touchy Feely,” “Laggies,” “Outside In,” and the recent “Sword of Trust.” Now, the director is set to helm a project that very well might be the biggest of her career.

Continue reading Lynn Shelton To Direct Hulu Series ‘Little Fires Everywhere’ Starring Reese Witherspoon & Kerry Washington at The Playlist.

As will surprise no one who has seen a film directed by Lynn Shelton (“Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister“), empathy lies at the core of “Sword of Trust.” But after the seriousness of her last feature, “Outside In,” Shelton turns back to comedy with this shaggy, often hilarious, indie starring Marc Maron, Jillian Bell, Michaela Watkins, and Jon Bass as characters Shelton clearly cares about but doesn’t mind us laughing at.

Continue reading Lynn Shelton’s ‘Sword of Trust’ Is Hilarious & Emotional Thanks To Marc Maron & The Great Cast [SXSW Review] at The Playlist.

This year’s SXSW looks to be absolutely jam-packed with some of the biggest names in film. We already knew that Jordan Peele was using the festival to premiere his highly-anticipated follow-up to “Get Out,” titled “Us.” But we had no idea that the rest of the preliminary line-up that was just announced would be so stacked.

READ MORE: Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Selected As Opening Night Film Of 2019 SXSW Film Festival

New films from actors Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, Olivia Wilde, and Matthew McConaughey are just the tip of the iceberg.

Continue reading Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey & More Highlight The First SXSW Announcement at The Playlist.

Well, that escalated quickly. Over the weekend, an interview emerged with director John Carney in which he used an opportunity to promote “Sing Street” to slam Keira Knightley, the lead actress in his far less well received “Begin Again.” He blamed the Oscar nominated actress for letting her entourage get in the way of making the movie and suggested she wasn’t quite ready to go to lengths required of top level talent.

Continue reading Mark Romanek, Lorene Scafaria & Lynn Shelton Defend Keira Knightley at The Playlist.

Review: Aziz Ansari's New Netflix Show 'Masters Of None' Is A Delight From Beginning To End

Continue reading Review: Aziz Ansari’s New Netflix Show ‘Masters Of None’ Is A Delight From Beginning To End at The Playlist.

Listen: 'This American Life' Episode 'Incredible Case Of The P.I. Moms' Being Turned Into A Film By Lynn Shelton

Continue reading Listen: ‘This American Life’ Episode ‘Incredible Case Of The P.I. Moms’ Being Turned Into A Film By Lynn Shelton at The Playlist.

Interview: Lynn Shelton & Sam Rockwell On Working With Keira Knightley & Chloë Grace Moretz In ‘Laggies’

Continue reading Interview: Lynn Shelton & Sam Rockwell On Working With Keira Knightley & Chloë Grace Moretz In ‘Laggies’ at The Playlist.

Review: 'Laggies' Starring Keira Knightley Is An Uneven, Patchy, Feel-Good, Crowd-Pleasing Comedy

Continue reading Review: ‘Laggies’ Starring Keira Knightley Is An Uneven, Patchy, Feel-Good, Crowd-Pleasing Comedy at The Playlist.

A24 Dates 'The Rover' With Robert Pattinson For June 13, Keira Knightley's 'Laggies' For September 26

Continue reading A24 Dates ‘The Rover’ With Robert Pattinson For June 13, Keira Knightley’s ‘Laggies’ For September 26 at The Playlist.

Continue reading Sundance: Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard Scoring Lynn Shelton’s ‘Laggies’; Ad-Rock Tunes Up Baseball Doc at The Playlist.

'Touchy Feely' Director Lynn Shelton's Top 10 Favorite Films Of 2013 Include 'Her,' 'Short Term 12' & More

Continue reading ‘Touchy Feely’ Director Lynn Shelton’s Top 10 Favorite Films Of 2013 Include ‘Her,’ ‘Short Term 12’ & More at The Playlist.

Review: Lynn Shelton's 'Touchy Feely' Starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page & Josh Pais

Continue reading Review: Lynn Shelton’s ‘Touchy Feely’ Starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page & Josh Pais at The Playlist.

Interview: 'Touchy Feely' Director Lynn Shelton Talks Her Meditative Film, Cronenbergian Deleted Scenes & More

Continue reading Interview: ‘Touchy Feely’ Director Lynn Shelton Talks Her Meditative Film, Cronenbergian Deleted Scenes & More at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For Dramedy 'Touchy Feely' Starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page & Scoot McNairy

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For Dramedy ‘Touchy Feely’ Starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page & Scoot McNairy at The Playlist.