For decades, Mark Duplass has dipped his toe time and again into the water of roughly every form of media, whether onscreen (“Creep,” “The Morning Show”), as a director (“Cyrus,” “Jeff, Who Lives at Home”), or as a producer on the vast number of titles inhabiting the library that is Duplass Brothers Productions.

Continue reading ‘Penelope’: Mark Duplass, Mel Eslyn & Megan Stott Talk The Journey To Bring The Drama To Life, Behind-The-Scenes & The Future [Interview] at The Playlist.

Numerous clips have been shared online regarding how self-importantly Aaron Sorkin and company took themselves while they were making “The Newsroom,” a show that practically announced itself as the last stand for human rights and journalistic decency in the world. Holding that impossible standard high in its third season is Apple TV+’s expensive hit “The Morning Show,” a program that makes it feel like if morning news in America falls, then the apocalypse is just around the corner.

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ Review: Hit Apple TV+ Show Leans Into Soap Opera Melodrama in Entertaining Third Season at The Playlist.

Few Apple TV+ original series beyond “Ted Lasso” have fanbases like “The Morning Show.” Well, good news for those who love the ensemble news drama: Season 3 of “The Morning Show” arrives soon. How soon? How does about six weeks sound?

And Apple TV+ has a brand new teaser for the upcoming season to drum up more hype for the show. The 10-episode third season picks up where Season 2 left off, with this news team as power-hungry and back-biting as ever, and the network’s future thrown into doubt.  

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 Teaser: Apple TV+’s New Drama With Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Crudup Returns In September at The Playlist.

Some names, once viewed on a marquee or YouTube ad, tend to draw a specific audience ranging from real fans to, “Oh yes, that guy.“ I could put the Duplass brothers, Mark and Jay, into both of these categories, with a lengthy filmography largely encompassing projects their company Duplass Brothers Productions has spearheaded, such as 2010’s “Cyrus” and “Jeff, Who Lives at Home”; Mark, in particular, has emerged as the higher profile of the two, consistently delivering as an actor in diverse roles ranging from horror (“Creep”) to TV comedy (“The League”) offbeat humor (“Greenberg,” “Safety Not Guaranteed,” “Tully”) and more. “The Long Long Night,” another Mark Duplass vehicle, would likely fall into the latter category; originating from show creator/co-star Barret O’Brien, the six-episode series depicts the falling out between two former best friends, Pete (Duplass) and Carroll (O’Brien) and the night that kicked it off, told through black and white footage of said night in question as well as video messages the two send each other months later as they attempt to repair the damage done.

Continue reading ‘The Long Long Night’: Simplicity & Complexity Somehow Propel The Unique Duplass Bros. Show [Tribeca] at The Playlist.

If you’re going to spend the apocalypse with someone, you might as well do it with your BFF, right? Though that could potentially get really weird. That’s the premise of “Biosphere,” a new IFC Films movie that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and stars Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”) and Mark Duplass (“The One I Love,” “The Morning Show”).

Continue reading ‘Biosphere’ Trailer: Sterling K. Brown & Mark Duplass Are BFFs & Also The Last Two Men On Earth at The Playlist.

The end of the world seems to be a topic that will always be interesting to delve into in films and TV series. But most of those stories take place in the post-apocalypse with people scavenging for food and doing horrible things to stay alive. That’s not the post-apocalypse that is shown in the new film, “Biosphere.”

READ MORE: ‘Biosphere’ Review:  A Buddy Movie, ‘Humpday’-Ish Questions Of Masculinity & End Of The World Times Collide [TIFF]

As seen in the trailer for “Biosphere,” the film does take place in the post-apocalypse, but not in the way you might be expecting.

Continue reading ‘Biosphere’ Teaser Trailer: Sterling K. Brown & Mark Duplass Are Surviving The Apocalypse In Mel Eslyn’s Film at The Playlist.

**This review may contain some potential, unavoidable spoilers about the basics of “Biosphere.’ Spoilerphobes, please beware and return after you have seen the movie.**

A film like “Biosphere” poses a genuine conundrum for the film critic, who is tasked with the job of describing, in some detail, a film that counts among its best qualities the element of absurdist surprise. Its only plot description at the time of this writing, on the TIFF website (where it was added, quite close to the festival, as a “special surprise screening”), reads simply, “In the not-too-distant future, the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.” Well, that sounds like any number of science fiction pictures, while “in the not-too-distant future” recalls “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” The film itself falls somewhere in between.

Continue reading ‘Biosphere’ Review:  A Buddy Movie, ‘Humpday’-Ish Questions Of Masculinity & End Of The World Times Collide [TIFF] at The Playlist.

Apple TV+ launched in 2019 with one of the most expensive dramas of all time, a peek behind the curtain of a high-profile NYC morning news show and how it functions in the era of #MeToo and Cancel Culture called “The Morning Show”. Reviews were decidedly mixed—our own critic called it “as narratively injurious as it is toothlessly benign”—but a lot of critics and viewers came around as the season unfolded, and it even landed multiple Emmy nominations, winning Best Supporting Actor.

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’: Bombshells, Exposés & Sensationalized Plot Turns Drag Down Season 2 [Review] at The Playlist.

The first season of “The Morning Show” ended with a bang, or, actually, two of them. (Spoiler alert for those who haven’t seen the show.) After their coworker dies of an overdose in the wake of sexual misconduct covered up by toxic workplace culture, UBA newscasters Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon expose the truth on-air before their live feed cuts off. In the post-#MeToo pop culture climate, that’s a bold way to end a season of TV.

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ Season 2 Trailer: Jennifer Aniston & Reese Witherspoon Take On More Toxic TV Culture In September at The Playlist.

Despite a global pandemic and an uncertain film industry, Natalie Morales is having one of the best years of her career. Not only did she make her directorial debut with the really solid comedy, “Plan B” (which we included in our Best of 2021 So Far list), earlier this year, but the actress-turned-filmmaker already is set to release her second directorial effort, “Language Lessons,” this fall.

Continue reading ‘Language Lessons’ Trailer: Natalie Morales & Mark Duplass Develop A Special Friendship Over Zoom at The Playlist.

Apple’s critically acclaimed series “The Morning Show” is back for a second season. Set in the world of morning news programming, ‘Show’ explores timely interoffice conflicts and the truth behind famous personalities. A focus on current events became even more pronounced last year as the pandemic struck. Filming was delayed, resuming later in 2020 with an emphasis on altered storylines. The results have given the project a new direction that builds on a strong first season.

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ Season 2 Trailer: A New TV Day With Jennifer Aniston & Reese Witherspoon Returns In September at The Playlist.

In the age of quarantine and pandemics, connection is desperately needed, loneliness is its own epidemic, and mental health and tragedy issues are all-too-relevant, sad byproducts of the COVID-19 era. Now, while it’s arguably (or charitably) unclear if anyone actually wants to actually see any stories set during quarantine—by all accounts, most quarantine-set movies and TV like “Locked Down” and “Coastal Elites” were terrible— all of these aforementioned ideas of isolation, connection, confinement and more, at the center of Natalie Morales’ directorial debut, “Language Lessons.”

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

It’s a noble effort, using the ideas of language to deepen and enrich the themes of connecting with one another in a meaningful way, and the misunderstandings that come with an unfamiliar language, passive-aggressiveness, authentic, honest, communication, coded language, and more.

Continue reading ‘Language Lessons’: Natalie Morales Directorial Debut Is Hampered By Its Zoom Meeting Dynamics [SXSW Review] 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.

“Room 104” director Patrick Brice is reteaming with HBO for the upcoming suspense-thriller film, “The Wild.” The film will stream exclusively on HBO Max, developed and produced internally at Warner Max. (Warner Max is the new HBO Max label that will head all feature film development and production for the streaming service.) The film will be based off of Owen Laukkanen’s suspense novel of the same name, and will be adapted, written, and directed by Brice.

Continue reading HBO Reteams With ‘Room 104’ Director Patrick Brice For Horror Film ‘The Wild’ at The Playlist.

HBO‘s acclaimed “Room 104” series will soon have no more vacancy. Created by Mark and Jay Duplass (HBO’s “Animals.” and “Togetherness”), the late-night, half-hour anthology series, which began back in 2017, is winding things down with a final season that begins in July. Known for its versatility in genre and form—anthology series akin to Netflix’s “Black Mirror” and “The Twilight Zone” from CBS, “Room 104”— by its very premise, “Room 104” has given itself a lot of flexibility in the area of storytelling.

Continue reading ‘Room 104’ Trailer: The Final Season Features Dave Bautista, Jillian Bell & Arrives This July at The Playlist.

While he’s involved quite a bit in various TV shows and films, writer-director-actor Mark Duplass hasn’t stepped behind the camera to direct a feature in almost a decade. However, that’s expected to change, thanks to the new film, “A Horse Walks Into A Bar.”

According to THR, Duplass has signed on to direct a film based on the novel, “A Horse Walks Into A Bar,” by author David Grossman.

Continue reading Mark Duplass To Direct ‘A Horse Walks Into A Bar’; His First Feature Since 2012 at The Playlist.

Mark Duplass, along with his brother, Jay, have been indie film mainstays for well over a decade. And with the world being turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that the Duplass Brothers are trying to leverage their indie clout and partnerships with streaming platforms to help newer filmmakers find a home for their projects.

READ MORE: Venice Film Festival “Cannot Be Replaced By An Online Event,” According To Officials

Speaking to IndieWire, Mark Duplass talked about how the global pandemic has been affecting his career and why he feels that now is the perfect time for his company to partner with streaming services, especially when so many indie filmmakers struggle to find distributors with festivals such as SXSW, Tribeca, and others being canceled.

Continue reading The Duplass Brothers Want To Help Filmmakers Affected By Canceled Festivals at The Playlist.

For some, possibly in the middle of the country, there’s nothing more American than a wholesome Today Show/GMA-esque morning network television show. A safe, middle-of-the-road program that starts your day, tries to appeal to everyone, never rocks the boat and kills in the ratings because of its dependable inoffensiveness.

But what if the so-called honesty and reliability of a beloved morning show were shaken when a Matt Lauer-esque scandal rocks the program?

Continue reading ‘The Morning Show’ Cancels Itself With Hokey ‘Speak Truth To Power’ Faux Feminism & Soap Opera-Ish, ‘Both Sides’ Look At #MeToo [Review] at The Playlist.

Director Alex Lehmann made his narrative feature film debut with the critically-acclaimed “Blue Jay” in 2016, a film that was shot with just a sketch of a screenplay in just under seven days, with actors Mark Duplass (who also wrote the sketch) and Sarah Paulson improvising the dialogue. His sophomore feature, “Paddleton,” which also marks his screenwriting debut, is a much similar, bare-bones production.

Continue reading ‘Paddleton’: Director Alex Lehmann On Rooting For The Underdog, Grief & Working With Ray Romano [Interview] at The Playlist.

Alex Lehmann’s “Paddleton” opens on a decidedly (and deceptively) serious note. Michael (Mark Duplass) sits in a doctor’s examination room, looking drawn, haggard, and worried, and for good reason; he has cancerous lesions on his liver, and while his physician won’t come right out and call it terminal, it’s hard to miss the inference. But his neighbor and best friend Andy (Ray Romano), who’s come along for moral support, tries to get some clarity; he proposes an elaborate code wherein the doctor will correct him if he says anything wrong about his friend’s prognosis.

Continue reading ‘Paddleton’: Mark Duplass & Ray Romano Make A Great Odd Couple In A Moving & Funny Cancer Comedy [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Mark Duplass is a bit of a Sundance regular. And this year, the filmmaker comes back to the annual film festival with a new film that he co-wrote and stars in, titled “Paddleton.” And he’s bringing comedy legend Ray Romano along for the ride.

READ MORE: 18 Sundance Film Festival 2019 Premieres That Already Have Our Attention

In the first trailer for “Paddleton,” we meet Duplass’ character, a middle-aged man that was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides that he doesn’t want to let the illness destroy him and will take matters into his own hand.

Continue reading ‘Paddleton’ Trailer: Mark Duplass & Ray Romano Go On An Odd Road Trip In New Sundance Film at The Playlist.

You know what’s high up on our list of the most anticipated films of 2019? British-Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvar’s latest horror film and follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Under The Shadow.” Titled “Wounds,” the movie stars Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, Zazie Beetz, Karl Glusman, Brad William Henke and centers on disturbing and mysterious things that begin to happen to a bartender in New Orleans after he picks up a phone left behind at his bar.

Continue reading ‘Wounds’ First Look: Dakota Johnson & Armie Hammer Star In Babak Anvar’s New Sundance-Bound Horror at The Playlist.

Anthology series are all the rage on TV nowadays and for good reason. You see, the beauty of an anthology series is that you can hire incredible talent behind, and in front of, the camera that you wouldn’t normally be able to for an entire season. That advantage is on display, perhaps best of all, in HBO’s series “Room 104.”

As seen in the new trailer for Season 2 of HBO’s anthology series, creators Mark and Jay Duplass have put together an incredible mixture of directors and A-list actors to bring the unbelievable stories of the titular motel room to life.

Continue reading ‘Room 104’ Season 2 Trailer: The Duplass Brothers Enlist A-List Actors & Directors To Tell More Crazy Motel Stories at The Playlist.

Sometimes people can have all the best intentions in the world, but not be really able to voice them correctly. That’s the message that Mark Duplass would like to spread today. You see, the indie filmmaker has found himself in the middle of a Twitter shitstorm and all he was trying to do was preach a bit of kindness. Clearly, he just didn’t do it in the exact right way.

It all started when Duplass tweeted a seemingly harmless message.

Continue reading Mark Duplass Apologizes For Controversial Tweet And Calls It “A Disaster On Many Levels” at The Playlist.

Marvel Studios has made a bit of a name for themselves for hiring talented, indie-focused directors for their big-budget tentpole films. The Russo Brothers, Jon Watts, James Gunn, Taika Waititi, and most recently, Ryan Coogler were all drafted by the studio to tackle $150+ million productions, and for the most part, they’ve paid off big.

Continue reading The Duplass Brothers Turned Down A Marvel Film at The Playlist.