Westerns, by nature, usually find themselves set in isolated parts of the United States with a limited cast and set that allows dialogue to do the heavy lifting as much as the characters speaking those lines. With any luck, a talented group of actors will help to elevate both elements to a level beyond what could be considered a stage play with cowboy hats and revolvers. When this feat is achieved, the results can often be excellent, ranging from the legendary Clint Eastwood’s genre-defining “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and “Unforgiven,” as well as more recent entries such as Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” and “The Hateful Eight.” 

READ MORE: The 25 Best Westerns Of All Time

Somewhere in the middle of the graph of quality sits “Surrounded,” the newest addition to the genre, fulfilling the requirements mentioned above to a T, as if someone in the editing room was running through a list as the final cut played out before them; Vast, rural landscapes?

Continue reading ‘Surrounded’ Review: Good Performances From Letitia Wright & Jamie Bell Can’t Help This Dull Western at The Playlist.

When John Boyega and Michael K. Williams filmed “Breaking” together last summer, neither knew it would be one of Williams’ final onscreen roles. Shortly after “Breaking” wrapped production last August, Williams died of an accidental drug overdose. His death gives a movie with an already riveting premise an extra emotional layer.

READ MORE: ‘Breaking’ Trailer: John Boyega & Michael K. Williams Star In A New Crime Thriller

In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Boyega recalled what it was like working with Williams on the film.

Continue reading ‘Breaking’ Star John Boyega Says Michael K. Williams Was “Paid Peanuts” And Did It “For The Art” at The Playlist.

On July 7, 2017, former Marine Brian Brown-Easley, dressed in a grey hoodie, brandishing a bruised cheek underneath his glasses, walked into an Atlanta area Wells Fargo bank claiming to possess a bomb. Politely he allowed the majority of the bank’s customers and employees to leave, except for two. He had one demand: That the Department of Veteran Affairs, who took away his $892.34 disability check, give him his money. From this tragic real-life story arises Abi Damaris Corbin’s tightly constructed, yet cold film, “892.” A work explaining how the safety nets meant to protect the voiceless failed an Iraqi war vet, a Black man.

Continue reading ‘892’ Review: John Boyega Stars In Abi Damaris Corbin’s Tightly Constructed, But Cold Drama [Sundance] at The Playlist.

After exiting the Netflix film “Rebel Ridge” directed by Jeremy Saulnier (“Green Room“), British actor John Boyega (“Detroit“) is reportedly looking to help out an indie drama that was about to collapse if they couldn’t find a new leading man. 

READ MORE: New Report Alleges John Boyega Walked Off Jeremy Saulnier’s ‘Rebel Ridge’ Mid-Shoot Over Issues With The Script & Accommodations

We now know what project Boyega will make after leaving “Rebel Ridge” as The Hollywood Reporter says he’s joined the indie military drama “892” taking a lead role vacated by Jonathan Majors (“White Boy Rick,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Lovecraft Country“).

Continue reading John Boyega Joins Indie Military Drama ‘892’ After Jonathan Majors Exits Due To Scheduling Conflict With ‘Ant-Man 3’ at The Playlist.

Vertical Entertainment has released the official trailer for their upcoming crime thriller, “Body Brokers.” The film stars Jack Kilmer (“The Nice Guys,” “Hala”) as Utah, a young junkie who finds himself roaming the rustic highways of Ohio alongside his partner Opal, played by Alice Englert (recently seen in Netflix’s “Ratched”).

Continue reading ‘Body Brokers’ Trailer: Addicts Are Exploited By Drug Rehabs Feat. Frank Grillo, Michael K. Williams, Melissa Leo & More at The Playlist.

Atticus (Jonathan Majors) loves pulp fiction. He loves that “the heroes get to go on adventures on other worlds… defeat the monsters, save the day.” A trimmed Korean war veteran, usually dressed in a t-shirt and slacks, he’s traveling from Florida back home to Chicago. His father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams), who he shares a contentious relationship with, sent him a mysterious letter describing a “sacred” (or “secret”) birthright his son must claim.

Continue reading ‘Lovecraft Country’: A Powerful & Terrifying Genre Odyssey Led By An Incredible Cast [Review] at The Playlist.

From the first clapping boom bap beats of Special Ed and then Public Enemy (“Fight The Power“), director Ava DuVernay‘s four-part Netflix mini-series “When They See Us” surges with a propulsive urgency and harrowing sense of rage, indignation, and heartache that rarely breaks. The series is centered on the infamous Central Park Five case, one of the most widely publicized crimes of the 1980s, in which five black and Latino teenage boys were wrongly convicted and sent to prison for the alleged gang rape of a white female jogger.

Continue reading ‘When They See Us’: Ava DuVernay’s Central Park Five Story Is A Harrowing Tale Of American Injustice, Racism, Sorrow & Pain [Review] at The Playlist.

There are not many similarities between Emilio Estevez’s heavily metaphorical “The Public” and Jordan Peele’s “Us.” The former quotes more from “The Grapes of Wrath” instead of “Lost Boys” and is far closer in spirit to a Very Special Episode of “The West Wing” (which it feels like Estevez may have been bingeing) than an epic-sized “Twilight Zone.” But what Estevez and Peele have in common is a disquiet at the state of the nation and a sense that a good part of the citizenry has been done a great injustice.

Continue reading ‘The Public’: Emilio Estevez Assembles A Great Cast For A Clumsy, But Gutsy, Film About Homelessness [Review] at The Playlist.

Director Ava DuVernay‘s made some incendiary dramas about race in her time, but perhaps nothing is going to be as is going to be as provocative as her upcoming Netflix four-part limited series called “When They See Us” about the Central Park Five. This definitely sounds like a mini-movie. The series is based on the stories of the five men who were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit.

Continue reading ‘When They See Us’ Teaser: Ava Duvernay’s Central Park 5 Netflix Show Named & Dated For May at The Playlist.

We’ve written thousands and thousands of words about Disney’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” From the crazy behind-the-scenes drama that resulted in the directors being fired after almost finishing production to the box office results that were disappointing, to say the least, it feels like we’ve covered every inch of the film. And one of those little wrinkles in our reporting was the exclusion of actor Michael K.

Continue reading Michael K. Williams Hasn’t Seen ‘Solo’ After Being Cut & Wants Another Crack At The ‘Star Wars’ Universe at The Playlist.

Public libraries serve across society, irrespective of age, race, sex, color, creed, and religion. They are self-education centers that provide resources and services in a variety of media to meet the needs of individuals and groups for information and personal development. Emilio Estevez is no stranger to the library. Thirty-three years ago, he portrayed one of five teens sentenced to Saturday detention in a school library in the 1985 teen classic “The Breakfast Club.” Decades later, he’s back in the library, not because he received another detention, but because he works at the library in “The Public.”

Written, starring, and directed by Estevez, “The Public” is a story of empathy versus authority, and that is evident in the trailer.

Continue reading ‘The Public’ Trailer: Emilio Estevez Finds Himself Back At A Library In New Film Premiering At TIFF at The Playlist.

“Aquaman” is here! But first, where does one begin with the DCEU? It’s such a sh*t show—having just changed management again, and essentially rid itself of its top creatives once more, now Geoff Johns, who basically replaced Zack Snyder. And every few movies they seem to clear the decks when another one of their movie bombs (Charles Roven, the man behind the Nolan Batman films who also produced “Batman V.

Continue reading First ‘Aquaman’ Trailer Rises From The Depths Of The Mighty Sea at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay is really putting together an incredible cast for her Netflix limited series “Central Park 5.” The streaming service just announced that Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, and John Leguizamo have all signed to star in the highly-anticipated series from the streaming service.

“Central Park 5” follows the story of five Harlem teens who were wrongly convicted of the brutal rape of a jogger in New York City.

Continue reading Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo To Star In Ava DuVernay’s ‘Central Park 5’ at The Playlist.

Review: Engaging And Admirable 'Anesthesia' With Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Michael K. Williams & More

Continue reading Review: Engaging And Admirable ‘Anesthesia’ With Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Michael K. Williams & More at The Playlist.

Review ‘Captive’ Starring Kate Mara & David Oyelowo Is A Curious Faith-Based Thriller & Infommerical

Continue reading Review ‘Captive’ Starring Kate Mara & David Oyelowo Is A Curious Faith-Based Thriller & Infommerical at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For IFC's Parody Series 'The Spoils Before Dying' With Michael Kenneth Williams, Maya Rudolph, & More

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For IFC’s Parody Series ‘The Spoils Before Dying’ With Michael Kenneth Williams, Maya Rudolph, & More at The Playlist.

Tribeca Review: Tim Blake Nelson’s ‘Anesthesia’ With Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Michael K. Williams & More

Continue reading Tribeca Review: Tim Blake Nelson’s ‘Anesthesia’ With Sam Waterston, Kristen Stewart, Michael K. Williams & More at The Playlist.

Review: Flawed, But Well Shot Throwback ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman & Brie Larson

Continue reading Review: Flawed, But Well Shot Throwback ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman & Brie Larson at The Playlist.

Review: Paul Thomas Anderson's Oddball And Beautiful 'Inherent Vice' Starring Joaquin Phoenix

Continue reading Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oddball And Beautiful ‘Inherent Vice’ Starring Joaquin Phoenix at The Playlist.

AFI Fest Review: ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Michael K. Williams

Continue reading AFI Fest Review: ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson and Michael K. Williams at The Playlist.

Watch: First Red Band Trailer For ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Michael K. William & More

Continue reading Watch: First Red Band Trailer For ‘The Gambler’ Starring Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Michael K. William & More at The Playlist.

Watch: Say Goodbye To 'Boardwalk Empire' With 30-Minute Doc 'The Final Shot' With Martin Scorsese, Steve Buscemi, More

Continue reading Watch: Say Goodbye To ‘Boardwalk Empire’ With 30-Minute Doc ‘The Final Shot’ With Martin Scorsese, Steve Buscemi, More at The Playlist.

Recap: 'Boardwalk Empire' Season 5, Episode 5, ‘King Of Norway’

Continue reading Recap: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 5, Episode 5, ‘King Of Norway’ at The Playlist.

NYFF Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Inherent Vice’ Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson & More

Continue reading NYFF Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Inherent Vice’ Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson & More at The Playlist.

Review: ‘Kill The Messenger’ Starring Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Rosemarie DeWitt

Continue reading Review: ‘Kill The Messenger’ Starring Jeremy Renner, Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Rosemarie DeWitt at The Playlist.