Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

This week’s big, big new release roundup includes two high-profile winners at this year’s Oscars, the big winner at 1965’s Oscars, a handful of cult faves making their 4K debuts, a must-have box set for fans of low-budget genre fare, and catalog Blu-ray releases featuring such icons as Jackie Chan, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando, and Snoopy.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Raya And The Last Dragon,’ ‘Minari,’ ‘The Father’ & More at The Playlist.

In perhaps one of the more improbable Oscar campaigns in history, Youn Yuh-jung won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her critically acclaimed performance in “Minari.” Yuh-jung became just the second Asian woman to win an Oscar in the 93-year history of the awards. A landmark and sobering moment for the film industry.

READ MORE: ‘Minari’s’ Youn Yuh-Jung Didn’t Realize This Oscar-Thing Was Happening [Interview]

One of the most respected actresses in Korean film, Yuh-jung portrayed Soon-ja, the Yi family grandmother in Lee Isaac Chung’s autobiographical drama.

Continue reading Youn Yuh-Jung Becomes First Asian Actress To Win An Oscar In 63 Years at The Playlist.

Is there room for upsets at the Oscars? That depends on how you categorize an upset. In theory, Chadwick Boseman is still the locked frontrunner to take the Best Actor prize at the Academy Awards in two weeks, but Anthony Hopkins pulled off something of a surprise winning the equivalent honor at the 2021 BAFTA Awards. Does that put Boseman’s posthumous honor from the Oscars in doubt? Unlikely.

READ MORE: “Black is King,” “Mank,” “Soul” and “Tenet” triumph at 2021 Art Directors Guild Awards

Among the other awards, “Nomadland” took four honors including Best Film, Best Director (Chloe Zhao), Leading Actress (Frances McDormand), and Cinematography (Joshua James Richards).

Continue reading ‘Nomadland’ Wins Best Film As Anthony Hopkins Surprises At 2021 BAFTA Awards at The Playlist.

Composer Emile Mosseri might be humble. And judging from our podcast conversation, he might have low expectations. But, he should get ready because after his breakthrough Oscar-nominated score for “Minari,” it would be shocking if some of the world’s major filmmakers were not rushing to collaborate with him.

READ MORE: Steven Yeun Faces His Father’s Generation In ‘Minari’ [Interview]

The 35-year-old composer first made a name for himself with the gorgeous score for 2019’s “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.” He’s followed that up with music for “Kajillionare” and the second season of “Homecoming,” which both debuted in 2020.

Continue reading Emile Mosseri Reflects On His Oscar-Nominated Score For ‘Minari’ [Podcast] at The Playlist.

And then there were eight. The Best Picture nominees have been widdled down to a chosen few and from a layman’s perspective, it might appear that the race to take Oscar’s most prestigious prize is surprisingly wide open. “Mank” led all films, including Best Picture nominees, with ten nods, but there were six films with six nods and one, “Promising Young Woman,” with five. But upon closer inspection, things are slightly more complicated.

Continue reading ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Promising Young Woman’ Or ‘Minari’ For The Win? [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

We are nearing the crescendo of a very long, very pandemic-y awards season, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, aka The Academy, released the 2021 Oscars nominations. And though plenty of folks predicted this year could be a historical one, in terms of diversity and inclusivity, those prognosticators were actually right. In terms of inclusivity and diversity, the 2021 Oscars are shaping up to be a historical ceremony for Hollywood, which comes just several years after the awards show was called out for its extreme lack of non-white male nominees.

Continue reading Oscars Diversity: Chloé Zhao, Steven Yeun, Riz Ahmed & More Score Historic Nominations at The Playlist.

Two months later than usual, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 93rd Oscars. The honorees were revealed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas in a virtual broadcast which had actually become the norm for The Academy even before the pandemic began a little over a year ago. As always, AMPAS members provided a number of surprises for Oscar followers around the globe.

READ MORE: Best and Worst of the 2021 Grammy Awards

“Mank” led all films with 10 nominations.

Continue reading ‘Mank,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Minari’ & ‘Judas And The Black Messiah’ Lead 2021 Oscars Nominations at The Playlist.

Is now when the fun begins? After a historic two-month pandemic-related postponement, the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards are about to be announced. It’s been a strange campaign with no official in-person screenings, virtual Q&As, and almost every major contender already available on streaming or PVOD. But, hey, it’s the Oscars! And a ceremony at the end of April means friends and family might be able to congregate (masked or vaccine confirmed, obviously) to watch outside.

Continue reading 2021 Oscar Nominations Predictions: ‘Sound Of Metal,’ Andra Day, Janelle Monae, ‘Minari’ & More at The Playlist.

Did we suggest there were no more guild honors to be handed out? Surprise! It’s not the ASC that has the last laugh before Oscar nominations, but the American Cinema Editors instead. The society revealed their nominees for the 71st Eddie Awards this morning which gave major Academy Award and Emmy boosts to “Sound of Metal,” “Minari,” “Ted Lasso,” and “The Queen’s Gambit.”

READ MORE: “Mank,” “Nomadland” and “The Great” among 2021 ASC Awards nominees [Full List]

The most prestigious category is Feature Film (Dramatic) where “Sound of Metal,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “Mank,” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” made the cut.

Continue reading ‘Sound Of Metal,’ ‘Nomadland’ & ‘Ted Lasso’ Earn 2021 ACE Eddie Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

The Producers Guild of America announced the pandemic delayed nominees for the 2021 PGA Awards and the “surprises” in the film category were not that surprising. Best Picture frontrunners “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” all made the cut, along with other familiar titles. The “surprises” came with the inclusion of two Amazon Studios releases, “Sound of Metal” and “Borat Subsdquent Moviefilm.”

READ MORE: “Minari” and “The Crown” lead 2021 SAG Awards nominations [Complete List]

The other five nominees were “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Mank” and “One Night in Miami…” and “Promising Young Woman.

Continue reading ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Minari’ & ‘I May Destory You’ Among 2021 PGA Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

Without a doubt, “Minari” is one of the best films of the past year. The Lee Isaac Chung film has been earning rave reviews for weeks and has been picking up a steady stream of awards recently (including some Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards over the past week and a half). And it would appear that Oscars are in the future, especially for lead actor, Steven Yeun.

Continue reading Steven Yeun “Wasn’t Surprised” That The Golden Globes Categorized ‘Minari’ As A Foreign Film at The Playlist.

As with most pieces of art, films are often a collection of life experiences. A writer or filmmaker often doesn’t display their true creative potential until tackling the moments that shaped their lives. Lee Isaac Chung had earned acclaim for his feature debut “Munyurangabo,” which debuted at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Despite two follow pictures, he has only now shown his genuine auteur talent with the semi-autobiographical “Minari.”

READ MORE: Steven Yeun faces his father’s generation in “Minari” [Interview]

Set in the 1980s, “Minari” follows the Yi family as they attempt to farm Korean produce in rural Arkansas.

Continue reading ‘Minari’ Might Have Been Lee Isaac Chung’s Last Shot At Filmmaking [Interview] at The Playlist.

As Academy members drive through Los Angeles under an onslaught of FYC banners they are only days away from voting on the nominees for the 93rd Academy Awards. And while the Golden Globes delivered the lowest-rated telecast in 13 years, they did provide something of a public relations boost to a number of contenders. Moreover, if you believe the mantra “you win Best Picture in phase one,” no positive publicity is bad publicity (even when it’s coming from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association).

Continue reading ‘Nomadland’ & ‘Minari’ Get Globes PR Boost In Best Picture Race [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

It’s that time of year again—where the biggest names in Hollywood get all glammed up, gather in front of their webcams, and wait for their Zoom meeting to begin so they can find out who won this year’s Golden Globes. With COVID-19 still a major issue in the US and around the world, this year’s 78th Annual Golden Globes Awards did things a bit differently, as the ceremony was mostly a digital affair but with some familiar elements.

Continue reading Golden Globes 2021 Full Winners List: ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Queen’s Gambit,’ Chadwick Boseman & More at The Playlist.

Youn Yuh-jung is a pro. She’s been acting in film and television for over 50 years. Over that span, she’s won numerous accolades in Asia, but it’s her role in Lee Isaac Chung’s autobiographical drama “Minari” that has turned her into an awards season darling. Over the past few months, Youn has won 21 different year-end Supporting Actress awards including honors from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review.

Continue reading ‘Minari’s’ Youn Yuh-Jung Didn’t Realize This Oscar-Thing Was Happening [Interview] at The Playlist.

There are now less than three weeks left until voting for the 93rd Academy Awards is completed. And as the date grows closer, more members and consultants are expressing their belief there will be fewer Best Picture nominees than “normal.” Granted, we’ve heard this scuttlebutt before only to see the membership magically work the math to still land at least eight nominees. But could this be the year voters break that streak?

READ MORE: “Mank” and “The Crown” lead 2021 Golden Globe Awards nominations

Since the Academy went to a statistical formula to determine the Best Picture nominees for the 84th Oscars, there have been just three years where only eight nominees were selected (2015, 2016, 2019).

Continue reading Just How Many Best Picture Nominees In 2021? [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari” follows a family of Korean-American immigrants who try to reboot their lives on a farm in 1980s Arkansas. The semi-autobiographical drama finds Steven Yeun essentially playing Chung’s father. But when we discussed his role earlier this month he revealed he had to face his own preconceived notions of his own father to ground the character.

READ MORE: Steven Yeun holds on in the exquisite “Minari” [Sundance Review]

“This character, in my first stab at it, was just so conceptual.

Continue reading Steven Yeun Faces His Father’s Generation In ‘Minari’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

As awards season settles into its extended 2021 schedule the one organization there is no cure for, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are ready for their spotlight. Yes, the Golden Globe Awards will reveal their nominees on Wednesday morning and, as usual, every studio, network, and streamer is quaking in their boots. Pandemic, shandemic, it’s the same old racket.

READ MORE: “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Nomadland” and “I May Destroy You” top 2021 Independent Spirit Awards nominations

Every year, Hollywood spends thousands of dollars with consultants who quiz the HFPA members about what they like and what they don’t for months on end.

Continue reading Golden Globes Nominations Predictions 2021: ‘Trial Of The Chicago 7,’ Zendaya, ‘Hamilton’ at The Playlist.

Slightly delayed due to the pandemic, the American Film Institute announced their annual top 10 lists for 2020, and, as always, there were numerous surprises. Long hyped Oscar contenders such as “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” made the list, but so did underdogs such as “Sound of Metal” and “Da 5 Bloods.” On the television side, it was more predictable with only recent seasons of “Ramy” and “What We Do In Shadows” and newcomers such as “The Undoing,” “Never Have I Ever” and “P Valley” among the snubs.

Continue reading ‘Sound of Metal’ & ‘Judas And The Black Messiah’ Make AFI’s Top 10 Lists at The Playlist.

As America deals with the aftermath of a mob insurrection at the capital and a record number of COVID cases, the world continues to move forward in the best way it can. And that means, yes, for whatever it’s worth the extended 2021 Oscar season continues. Over the next seven weeks, there will be six new Best Picture contenders that will attempt to sway the opinions of AMPAS members before the February 28th deadline. Assuming voters haven’t already settled on their favorites over the holiday break and what’s turning out to be an extended COVID shooting shut down in LA.

Continue reading New Year, New Best Picture Players In 2021 Oscar Race [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

To say 2020 has been a rough year would be a gross understatement. Sometimes, it helps to pinch one’s self, as a kind of gentle reminder that what we’re living through is not normal, and that it won’t always be this way. Many of us have been put through the wringer this year (again, an understatement), and we can only hope to emerge on the other side with more reluctant hope for what comes next, less time for Donald Trump and his criminal ilk, and dreams of a vaccine reaching the American public sooner rather than later.

Continue reading Nicholas Laskin’s Best Films Of 2020 at The Playlist.

I will spare you the introduction that I am sure you knew would begin this piece. You know it all already, because we lived it together. This year just wouldn’t end. The real world was literally nightmarish for millions of people. If any movies gave you solace, I’m glad to hear it. Here are the top 10 that found their way into my heart. 

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020

Click here to follow along with our various Best of 2020 lists.

Continue reading Roxana Hadadi’s Best Films Of 2020 at The Playlist.

If it’s a Sunday in December it means it’s time for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association to hand out their year-end honors. The big winner was Steve McQueen’s film anthology commissioned for the BBC and Amazon Prime Video, “Small Axe.” It took Best Film, Best Cinematography and McQueen was runner up for Best Director.

READ MORE: “First Cow” chosen as Best Film of 2020 by NYFCC

Chloe Zhao won Best Director for “Nomadland” which also was runner up for Cinematography.

Continue reading LA Film Critics Select Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ As Best Film at The Playlist.

Lee Isaac Chung is maybe not a filmmaker that you’re familiar with yet, but after you watch “Minari,” you’re definitely going to want to see everything he works on in the future. While not his first feature film, “Minari” is the big breakout feature that is sure to launch the indie director into the Oscar discussion as we end 2020 and enter 2021. It’s a film that is not only expertly crafted but incredibly emotional and beautiful in every sense of the word.

Continue reading ‘Minari’ Filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung Is Working With MGM & Brad Pitt’s Production Company On A New Film at The Playlist.

What’s most notable about 2020’s slate of great performances is the element of surprise. Sure, most anybody betting on Frances McDormand being heaped with praise at year-end will likely win their bets. But 2020’s best films range so far in terms of their “stuff”—themes, style, genre, atmosphere—that it stands to reason the best performances should range, too, in terms of gravity and veterancy. The Playlist’s picks for 2020’s best performances oscillate from bubbly to brooding, effervescent to angry, calm to utterly petrified; the actors responsible for these performances range from newcomers to old stalwarts, talents developing their careers and legends at the peak of theirs. 

Continue reading The 20 Best Performances Of 2020 at The Playlist.