Yes, we’re not quite over with last year. But we’re getting there today, don’t worry. You’re busy; we get it. You may not have time to see everything; hell, you may not have seen our list of the Best Films of 2022 (25 films). But we assure you there are riches of cinema out there if you look.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023

In the spirit of this idea, and because there are so many films released that not all of us have time to see, there’s even more to explore (and because you just might be pulling up a computer for the first time in several weeks this week, hence running this now).

Continue reading Overlooked & Underrated: The 25 Best Films Of 2022 You (Prolly) Didn’t See at The Playlist.

Here at The Playlist, we’ve written quite a few year-end, Best Of lists to close out 2022. Everything from Best Films and Best TV Series (obviously) to Best Posters, Best Cinematography, Best Scores, and even Guilty Pleasures. And to put the bow on the Best Of lists, we have one more to share with you, in podcast form, no less — The Breakthrough Directors of 2022. 

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2022

For this episode of The Playlist Podcast, we have compiled a list of 20 (well, 21, technically) filmmakers who have had breakout projects this past year.

Continue reading The Breakthrough Directors Of 2022 [The Playlist Podcast] at The Playlist.

We all love actors, directors, music, and all of it, but cinema is obviously a visual medium first and foremost, and boy, do we love a handsome, nice-to-look-at picture. Cinematography usually gets turned into “pretty pictures,” what is the most colorful, the most sun-dappled, etc. And sure, some of that is represented here (“Aftersun”), but what represents “Best Cinematography,” to us, should be as layered, complex, and meaningful as cinema itself.

Continue reading The Best Cinematography Of 2022 at The Playlist.

Critics loved Nikyatu Jusu‘s “Nanny” at its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Now, moviegoers may see what all the fuss is about as the horror film hits limited theaters today. Not near any theater showing it? Not to worry: “Nanny” streams exclusively on Prime Video starting December 16.

READ MORE: ‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu On Her Buzzy Supernatural Thriller [Sundance Interview]

And as “Nanny” hits theaters, Jusu’s next projects gain momentum.

Continue reading ‘Suicide By Sunlight’: ‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu Will Remake Her 2019 Vampire Short Into A Feature For Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions at The Playlist.

Premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Nikyatu Jusu’s unsettling “Nanny” is a supernatural thriller that weaves together strands of domestic drama and West African folklore. For Jusu, combining these elements came naturally. 

In approaching the story of Aisha (Anna Diop), an undocumented nanny who’s haunted by paranormal forces while working for a privileged couple in New York City, Jusu drew upon formative memories of her mother, an artist, and self-published writer, performing domestic labor for families other than her own. 

Continue reading ‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu On Her Ghostly Supernatural Thriller From Sundance [Interview] at The Playlist.

Horror films can be inspired by all walks of life. It’s not a genre that is limited to masked men chasing young teens with a knife. Thrills can actually be derived from something as sweet and loving as being a nanny. 

READ MORE: ‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu On Her Buzzy Supernatural Thriller [Sundance Interview]

As seen in the trailer for “Nanny,” the new horror-thriller tells the story of a young woman, Aisha, who just arrived in the US from Senegal and has found a job as a nanny for a wealthy family.

Continue reading ‘Nanny’ Trailer: Sundance Award-Winning Thriller Arrives In Theaters Later This Fall at The Playlist.

The Sundance Film Festival was decidedly a virtual affair this year, but that didn’t stop the joy from the filmmakers, actors, and artists who were honored at the annual awards ceremony. The big winners this year included “Nanny,” “The Exiles,” “Cha Cha Smooth” and “Navalny,” which took two Audience Awards.

READ MORE: ‘Utama’: A breathtaking portrait of a Quechua family on the brink [Sundance Review]

Nikyatu’s “Nanny,” which is still available as an acquisition title at publication, took the prestigious Grand Jury Prize in the U.S.

Continue reading ‘Nanny,’ ‘The Exiles,’ ‘Cha Cha Smooth’ & “Navalny’ Top 2022 Sundance Awards at The Playlist.

Premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at this year’s all-virtual Sundance Film Festival, Nikyatu Jusu’s unsettling “Nanny” is a supernatural thriller that weaves together strands of domestic drama and West African folklore. For Jusu, combining these elements came naturally. 

READ MORE: Sundance 2022 Preview: 20 Must-See Movies From The Festival

In approaching the story of Aisha (Anna Diop), an undocumented nanny who’s haunted by paranormal forces while working for a privileged couple in New York City, Jusu drew upon formative memories of her mother, an artist, and self-published writer, performing domestic labor for families other than their own. 

“It was something that really left a salient mark on me, the reality that your mother would have to go care for other families in spite of the tremendous love that you had for her,” says Jusu.

Continue reading ‘Nanny’ Director Nikyatu Jusu On Her Buzzy Supernatural Thriller [Sundance Interview] at The Playlist.

I always see the nannies when I take my kids to the park. They’re hard to miss, over there on the park benches with the strollers and bags of snacks, gossiping and swapping war stories and strategies and shouting out admonishments to the cherubs they’re there to supervise. There’s a story to be told about these women, the kind of story that doesn’t get told in mainstream movies all that often, because these are stories about women, often of color, may of them immigrants, sometimes undocumented.

Continue reading ‘Nanny’ Review: Social Horror Meshes Uneasily with Character Drama in Nikyatu Jusu-Directed Chiller [Sundance] at The Playlist.

Another year of scares is upon us – the good kind, the on-screen, non-viral kind. A new year means a new year of horror movies, and 2022 has lots to offer. Luca Guadagnino, Scott Derrickson, and David Slade are among the directors trying their hands at literary adaptation, with Gary Dauberman taking on one of Stephen King’s favorite texts. Sundance promises some ghoulish original films by new directors, and loads of franchises are taking another stab at it, from “Evil Dead” to “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Consider this list your guide to the creepiest stuff crawling down the pipeline.

Continue reading The 25 Most Anticipated Horror Films Of 2022 at The Playlist.

The unveiling of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival line-up was decidedly unique. For the first time in recent memory, acquisition films are dominating the proceedings. Sure, there are a few A24 and Amazon Studios films here and there, but for the most part, the mini-majors decided to pass on a hybrid in-person and virtual festival (for a variety of reasons). In many ways, that may benefit festival-goers who are in for more “unseen” surprises than usual.

Continue reading 22 Most Anticipated Sundance 2022 Films: ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth,’ ‘Fire of Love,’ ‘FRESH’ at The Playlist.