Michael Kenneth Williams Archives - The Playlist

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

Noah Thompson — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 16:46:14 +0000

John Boyega stands as one of the most promising up-and-coming actors currently working in Hollywood. After his debut in “Attack the Block” and his star-making role as Finn in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, he recently wowed with his performance in “Red, White and Blue” in the anthology series “Small Axe” from Steve McQueen.

Continue reading ‘Breaking’ Trailer: John Boyega & Michael K. Williams Star In A New Crime Thriller at The Playlist.

‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’ Trailer: Chris Evans Helps Smuggle Refugees In Netflix’s Latest Film

Harry Frazer — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 19:32:51 +0000

Actor Chris Evans swaps his Captain America attire for a hotel worker on the Sudanese coast in this gritty thriller set back in the ‘80s. Inspired by the book “Mossad Exodus” by Gad Shimron, Israeli director Gideon Raff brings the story of “The Red Sea Diving Resort” to the screen where Mossad operatives lead an undercover mission that helps smuggle Jewish refugees to Israel in this biographical drama.

Continue reading ‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’ Trailer: Chris Evans Helps Smuggle Refugees In Netflix’s Latest Film at The Playlist.

‘The Public’ Trailer: Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater & Taylor Schilling Star In Library Thriller

Jamie Rogers — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:28:00 +0000

Emilio Estevez is back on the big screen for the first time since his 2010 film “The Way” hit theaters. This time, however, he’s back in the library (but it’s not for Saturday detention) in “The Public.” Shot at Cincinnati’s main library branch, “The Public” follows a group of homeless patrons during a wicked cold front who decide to stay at the library for shelter.

Continue reading ‘The Public’ Trailer: Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater & Taylor Schilling Star In Library Thriller at The Playlist.

2017 Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie Emmy Predictions

Gregory Ellwood — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 21:36:31 +0000

This is another tough category where almost any of the nominees could win (do you detect a theme?). We’re going with our gut here that “Feud‘s” Alfred Molina pulls it out, but his co-star Stanley Tucci and “Big Little Lies“ Alexander Skarsgard are right in the mix. [Posted July 24]

Outstanding Supporting Actor a Limited Series or TV Movie

Continue reading 2017 Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie Emmy Predictions at The Playlist.

First Trailer For Gus Van Sant’s Miniseries ‘When We Rise’ Starring Guy Pearce & Mary-Louise Parker Fights For LGBT Rights

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 21 Nov 2016 16:18:39 +0000

With many in the LGBT community fearing what a Trump presidency means for the progress made in terms of gay rights, marriage, and more under President Barack Obama, it’s a reminder that the fight is far from over. In fact, it has been going on for decades, and the upcoming ABC event series “We We Rise” documents the battles that have brought us to where we are today.

READ MORE: Love Wins: Watch The ‘Rainbow Flag Of Film’ Tribute To LGBTQ Cinema

Penned by Dustin Lance Black (“Milk“), executive produced by Gus Van Sant (who also directed the two-hour series premiere), and starring Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Michael Kenneth Williams, David Hyde Pierce, and many more, the show will chronicle the journey of gay rights activism starting with the Stonewall Riots in 1969.

Continue reading First Trailer For Gus Van Sant’s Miniseries ‘When We Rise’ Starring Guy Pearce & Mary-Louise Parker Fights For LGBT Rights at The Playlist.

25 Performances That Deserve Emmy Nominations This Year

Oliver Lyttelton — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 17:43:06 +0000

It’s Emmy season, and we’re just a week away from the Television Academy announcing their 2016 nominees, and as has been the case in the last few years, they have a wealth of stuff to choose from, with “Game Of Thrones,” “House Of Cards,” “Orange Is The New Black,” “Downton Abbey,” “Veep,” “Transparent,” “Silicon Valley,” and “Fargo” all expected to bring in mighty hauls of nominations.

Continue reading 25 Performances That Deserve Emmy Nominations This Year at The Playlist.

Watch: Michael Fassbender & Marion Cotillard Reunite In The First Trailer For Justin Kurzel’s ‘Assassin’s Creed’

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 12 May 2016 04:12:04 +0000

The video game code has never been cracked in cinema. Gamer culture is a juggernaut within the entertainment industry and video games have begun dwarfing movies economically in the last few years. There are many culturally iconic games — Super Mario Bros., Legend Of Zelda, Final Fantasy, etc., to name just a few — but there has never really been one video game adaptation that’s been well received or leveraged the huge brand of a video game to a commensurate success.

Continue reading Watch: Michael Fassbender & Marion Cotillard Reunite In The First Trailer For Justin Kurzel’s ‘Assassin’s Creed’ at The Playlist.

Watch: First Trailer For Thriller ‘Captive’ Starring Kate Mara, David Oyelowo & Michael Kenneth Williams

The Playlist Staff — Tue, 16 Jun 2015 20:18:57 +0000

Watch: First Trailer For Thriller ‘Captive’ Starring Kate Mara, David Oyelowo & Michael Kenneth Williams

Continue reading Watch: First Trailer For Thriller ‘Captive’ Starring Kate Mara, David Oyelowo & Michael Kenneth Williams at The Playlist.

Watch: Queen Latifah Sings The Blues In New Trailer For Dee Rees’ ‘Bessie’ With Mo’Nique & Michael Kenneth Williams

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 19:26:19 +0000

Watch: Queen Latifah Sings The Blues In New Trailer For Dee Rees' 'Bessie' With Mo'Nique & Michael Kenneth Williams

Continue reading Watch: Queen Latifah Sings The Blues In New Trailer For Dee Rees’ ‘Bessie’ With Mo’Nique & Michael Kenneth Williams at The Playlist.

Watch: First Teaser Trailer & Images For Dee Rees’ ‘Bessie’ With Queen Latifah & Michael Kenneth Williams

The Playlist Staff — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:12:17 +0000

Watch: First Teaser Trailer & Images For Dee Rees' 'Bessie' With Queen Latifah & Michael Kenneth Williams

Continue reading Watch: First Teaser Trailer & Images For Dee Rees’ ‘Bessie’ With Queen Latifah & Michael Kenneth Williams at The Playlist.

Recap: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 5, Episode 6 ‘Devil You Know’

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Recap: 'Boardwalk Empire' Season 5, Episode 6 ‘Devil You Know’

Continue reading Recap: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 5, Episode 6 ‘Devil You Know’ at The Playlist.

Recap: ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Season 5, Episode 3 ‘What Jesus Said’

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 17:22:52 +0000

Recap: 'Boardwalk Empire' Season 5, Episode 3 ‘What Jesus Said’

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‘Boardwalk Empire’ Rolls The Dice, Gets Renewed For A Second Season After One Episode

Kevin Jagernauth — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 21:22:00 +0000

7.1 million HBO viewers can’t be wrong.

Boasting the largest numbers of a debut show on HBO since “Deadwood” in 2004, the network has gone ahead and renewed the Martin Scorsese-produced “Boardwalk Empire” for a second season, after just one episode.

The series, written by “The Sopranos” scribe Terence Winter, uses Nelson Johnson’s book, “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City,” as a jumping off point to explore Atlantic City in the roaring ’20s.

Continue reading ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Rolls The Dice, Gets Renewed For A Second Season After One Episode at The Playlist.

New Photos & Trailer: Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:20:00 +0000

OK, this official U.S. trailer for Todd Soldonz’s “Life During Wartime” is not very different from the U.K. one released earlier this year, but hey, we also found some new pictures to go along with this post (a new poster was also recently released).

Also as our review from TIFF 2009 notes; while “Life During Wartime” wasn’t completely successful front to back, it is a interesting picture and one worth not only seeing, but discussing.

Continue reading New Photos & Trailer: Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’ at The Playlist.

‘Boardwalk Empire’ Dazzles In Latest Trailer

Christopher Bell — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:23:00 +0000

There’s a new trailer for HBO’s upcoming prohibition-era gangster series “Boardwalk Empire,” thanks to New York Magazine. This is the third sneak peak at the series, being toted as the first trailer “with words” (as in, there are dialogue scenes). The series has been gaining a lot of buzz due to the involvement of director Martin Scorsese (who tackled the pilot), “The Sopranos” writer Terence Winter, and terrific actors such as Steve Buscemi, Michael Shannon , Gretchen Mol, Dabney Coleman, Michael K.

Continue reading ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Dazzles In Latest Trailer at The Playlist.

New U.K. Trailer & Poster For Todd Solondz’ ‘Life During Wartime’; Hear The New Beck & Devendra Banhart Song Too

Edward Davis — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:15:00 +0000

While we have seen footage from the film during its 2009 Venice Film Festival bow — where it won a screenwriting award — this is, for all and intents and purposes, our first real look at Todd Solondz’s “Life During Wartime,” his quasi weird sequel to 1998’s “Happiness.”

From what we understand (and or based on what we’ve written in the past), the film centers on the lives of several of the characters in “Happiness,” plus a few from 1995’s “Welcome To The Dollhouse” (Solondz’s crowing achievement thus far in this writer’s opinion) and revolves around the themes of forgiveness, which was once the working title of the film.

Continue reading New U.K. Trailer & Poster For Todd Solondz’ ‘Life During Wartime’; Hear The New Beck & Devendra Banhart Song Too at The Playlist.

Review: ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ & Antoine Fuqua’s As Well

Gabe Toro — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:47:00 +0000

New York has a reputation as being a compelling backdrop for films about policemen, heroic or otherwise. Law enforcement officials in a New York-set film usually find themselves digging deep to govern a city of criminals more ruthless and bloodthirsty by the day, and the annals of film history are filled with legendary names like Serpico and Popeye Doyle, good cops with questionable methods immortalized by their strong source material.

Continue reading Review: ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ & Antoine Fuqua’s As Well at The Playlist.

IFC Films To Release Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’ In The Summer

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:03:00 +0000

Man, another film we had on the brain (you’ll see tmw in another 2010 preview piece we’re doing) and were wondering when it was going to get picked up.

Sales at TIFF 2009 were pretty slow this year and that was a given in this shaky film climate. Buyers were tentative and took a wait and see approach, but with a new fiscal year on the books, distribs do seem to have some extra cash at hand.

Continue reading IFC Films To Release Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’ In The Summer at The Playlist.

The 100 Greatest Quotes From ‘The Wire’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0000

As huge, avowed fans of “The Wire,” this is just too good not to post. Still the greatest TV show ever as far as we’re concerned, but then again, we don’t really bother with TV much outside HBO. But several of these are stone-cold classics, especially anything that came out of Omar’s (Michael Kenneth Williams) mouth. Every bon mot he delivers is a gem. People who have not yet delved into this show? You’re truly missing out and have overlooked a hugely important cultural touchstone.

Continue reading The 100 Greatest Quotes From ‘The Wire’ at The Playlist.

TIFF ’09 Review: ‘Life During Wartime’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Indie enfante terrible Todd Solondz has been talking about his quasi-sequel variation to 1999’s “Happiness” for several years now.

At one point circa 2006/07 it was supposed to star Emma Thompson, Demi Moore, Hope Davis, Paul Dano and Faye Dunaway several other name actors, but obviously that one never happened.

It went from being titled “Life During Wartime,” to untitled, to “Forgiveness,” and then back to the original (based of a famous Talking Heads song).

Continue reading TIFF ’09 Review: ‘Life During Wartime’ at The Playlist.

First Look Scenes: New Clips From Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:21:00 +0000

There’s no trailer yet to Todd Solondz’s quasi-sorta-sequel to “Happiness,” his latest effort which has screened in Venice and is titled, “Life During Wartime,” but we do now have this extended mini-documentary or European TV segment that does show many clips from the film including scenes with Allison Janey, Shirley Henderson, Paul Reubens, Michael Lerner, and Ally Sheedy among others.

The conceit of this one is old characters from the Solondz milieu — “Happiness,” “Welcome To The Dollhouse” — and casting entirely new actors to play the parts (who’s who?

Continue reading First Look Scenes: New Clips From Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’ at The Playlist.

Todd Solondz Calls ‘Life During Wartime’ A “Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder” Film

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:03:00 +0000

Ready to be punished with the brutal black and unforgiving humor of a Todd Solondz picture?

His new one, a “a quasi-sequel variation” to 1999’s “Happiness” stars many of the same characters in that film (plus a few from ’95’s “Welcome To The Dollhouse” too), only new actors are starring in the roles. Example: Michael Kenneth Williams (Omar from “The Wire”) is playing the skeevy, perverted character that Philip Seymour Hoffman played in the original (we’ve mapped out all the new actors playing old characters here).

Continue reading Todd Solondz Calls ‘Life During Wartime’ A “Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder” Film at The Playlist.

First Look: The Freaks & Geeks Of Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Here’s your first look at Todd Solondz‘s “Life During Wartime,” his first feature-length film since “Palindromes” in 2004 and said to be a quasi-sequel of sorts to 1998’s “Happiness.”

The pictures feature Allison Janney, Paul “Pee-Wee Herman” Reuben, Ciarán Hinds, Ally Sheedy and Shirley Henderson. Not pictured, but still in the film are Charlotte Rampling, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Lerner and Paris Hilton (though curiously enough she’s not listed on the IMDB page; not that they’re completely fallible or anything, but when someone gets mentioned in the trades…).

Continue reading First Look: The Freaks & Geeks Of Todd Solondz’s ‘Life During Wartime’ at The Playlist.

Esquire Wasn’t Kidding- Trailer For ‘The Road’ Tries To Sell Us Totally Fairly Different Movie

Gabe Toro — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:02:00 +0000

Yahoo Movies has gone live with the trailer for John Hillcoat’s “The Road” and, true to this week’s intriguing piece from Esquire, the clip does indeed feature a misleading opening suggesting that the film gives us a peek at what causes the story’s post-apocalyptic wasteland. It even goes as far as to specifically credit “one event” for the downfall of civilization. Oh, come on, people!

For those of you familiar with the sparse prose of the Cormac McCarthy book, there is never any reason given for why the forests are alight, why vegetation has ceased, and why most humans have resorted to traveling in packs with cannibals.

Continue reading Esquire Wasn’t Kidding- Trailer For ‘The Road’ Tries To Sell Us ~~Totally~~ Fairly Different Movie at The Playlist.

‘The Road’ The “Most Important Film Of The Year” Says Esquire An Oscar Contender… Maybe?

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:34:00 +0000

As we noted last week in a piece that suggests Dimension films might be trying to fuck with tweak the trailer, Esquire’s Tom Chiarella has seen the John Hillcoat directed adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s long-delayed, “The Road.”

It’s only one man’s opinion obviously, but the Esquire scribe calls the film, “the most important film of the year” (or at least that’s the headline of the piece; sadly, it’s not online yet), and more importantly that’s gloriously high plaudits for a film that previously received mediocre, test-screening audience thoughts and then was delayed, and then pushed back almost a year (all of which did not bode well).

Continue reading ‘The Road’ The “Most Important Film Of The Year” Says Esquire An Oscar Contender… Maybe? at The Playlist.