It’s March again and arguably it’s never stopped being March. Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich. Ever since the global COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. and then basically forced most of the country to shut down and self-isolate in March 2020, the idea of existential despair has been on our brains both consciously and unconsciously. First, of course, it was panic—see stores running out of food and toilet paper—and some were able to channel that anxious energy into a kind of manic hypercreativity or hysterical productivity in the first few months of uncertainty (Steven Soderbergh famously wrote three full screenplays in about the first two months of the pandemic, challenging the nervous energy of not knowing what to do with himself with so much “downtime”).

Continue reading Existential Despair: Essential Movies For When March Never Ends at The Playlist.

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 weekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

READ MORE: The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s]

This (busy) week: a pair of new streaming originals, one of the best movies of 2019, one of the best movies of 1972, an underseen indie flick and studio cop movie from late last year, and must-have catalog titles from Jean-Luc Godard and Michael Ritchie.

Continue reading The 8 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Pain & Glory,’ ‘Give Me Liberty’ at The Playlist.

We’re nearly halfway into January 2020, so it feels like the perfect time to sit down, relax, and enjoy yet another recap of 2019! I know you’ve been read plenty of top 10 lists already, so I’ll spare you another list with the usual suspects, examining the class warfare of “Parasite” or the tragic self-reflection of “The Irishman.” Instead, I decided to take a look back at some of the most unforgettable or soon to be iconic moments from 2019.

Continue reading The Best Moments in Film 2019 + Video Countdown of Best of the Year at The Playlist.

Six days.  That’s it. Today, Thursday, January 2 through Tuesday, January, 7.  Six full days for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to vote for the nominees for the 2020 Oscars.  This rare shortened season has been a knockout in many regards. Fewer controversies this year (so far, at least), but the barrage of campaigning has been hard to ignore.  And, as always, there is nervousness all around.

As we noted earlier this week if any film is likely to have an Oscars “comeback” in terms of key nominations its Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women”.

Continue reading Seven Perplexing Questions As Six Days Of Oscars Voting Begins at The Playlist.

I am a movie crier. The ending of “Jojo Rabbit” had me alternating between hiccuping sobs and giggles with a similarly afflicted friend over just how much we were crying. I sniffled my way through the entirety of two viewings of “Little Women,” amassing a heap of movie theater napkins into an appropriated cupholder that had spilled over by the end. I couldn’t catch my breath at the end of “Queen & Slim,” and I felt the tears coming again as I thought about what I’d just seen as walked down the block away from the theater.

Continue reading Kimber Myers’ Top 10 Films Of 2019 at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 15 scores that will advance in consideration for the 2020 Best Original Score Oscar. It was no surprise to see Randy Newman’s work on “Marriage Story,” Thomas Newman’s compositions for “1917″ or Marco Beltrami’s score for “Ford v. Ferrari” among the films nominated.  What was surprising was the omission of Randy Newman for “Toy Story 4,” Dan Levy for “I Lost My Body” and, considering it earned a Best Original song nod, Jung Jaeil for “Parasite.” Robbie Robertson’s score for “The Irishman” wasn’t not eligible.

Continue reading ‘Marriage Story,’ ‘1917’ & ‘Joker’ Make Oscar’s Original Score Shortlist at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 10 films that have made it to the next stage of voting for the 2020 International Film Academy Award.  As expected, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” and Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables” made the list.  They were joined by films such as Mati Diop’s “Atlantics” and Kantemir Balagov’s “Beanpole.”.

In a major surprise, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov’s “Honeyland” became a rare documentary film to make the International Film shortlist.  

Continue reading ‘Parasite,’ ‘Pain & Glory’ & ‘Les Miserables’ Make 2020 International Film Oscar Shortlist at The Playlist.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association took their own path with their year end awards honoring Bong Joon Ho’s spectacular “Parasite” as Best Film. The NEON and CJ Entertainment release also took Best Director and Best Supporting Actor, Song Kang Ho. Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which won the NBR and NYFCC honors, was runner up for Picture, Director and Supporting Actor.

READ MORE: New York Film Critics Circle pick “The Irishman” As Best Film Of 2019

Antonio Banderas won Best Actor for “Pain and Glory” and, in a slight surprise, Mary Kay Place took Best Actress for her performance in “Diane.”  Jennifer Lopez won Best Supporting Actress for “Hustlers.”

“I Lost My Body” took both Animated Film and Music Score.

Continue reading ‘Parasite’ Wins Best Picture & Best Director From Los Angeles Film Critics Association at The Playlist.

Choices were certainly made as the New York Film Critics Circle determined their year-end awards bestowing Best Film to Netflix’s “The Irishman.” The Martin Scorsese drama took the same honor from the National Board of Review just one day earlier.  In a slight surprise, Best Director went to brothers Benny and Josh Safdie for A24’s “Uncut Gems.”  

Antonio Banderas and Lupita Nyong’o landed much needed Oscar assists taking Best Actor for Sony Picture Classics’ “Pain & Glory” and Best Actress for  Universal Pictures’ “Us,” respectively.

Continue reading ‘The Irishman’ Wins Best Picture & Best Supporting Actor From NYFCC at The Playlist.

Look, making a Best of Decade list is an impossibility. As the 2010s come to a close, we’ve been agonizing over this (long-delayed) list for half a year now and even had to take a break and put it away this summer when things got too contentious and overwhelming. And then there’s the notion of resonance and what really lasts and is released too late (Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” is phenomenal, for example, but it’s not even released yet, and it’s just going to have to sit this one out).

Continue reading The 100 Best Films Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

Nobody, least of all the director himself, is going to look back on the work of Pedro Almodóvar and think, man, it’s too bad he didn’t make more movies in Hollywood. Since the 1970s, Almodóvar has crafted his unique brand of cinema and served as an important entry point into Spanish cinema for many generations of moviegoers. In fact, he’s reached the point in his career where any new film doubles as a retrospective, which is how Almodóvar came to discuss the one Hollywood feature he might’ve directed with Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri.

Continue reading Pedro Almodovar Was Tempted To Make A More “Animalistic” Version Of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a record 93 entries for the International Film Oscar at the 92nd Academy Awards. This category was formerly known as Foreign Language Film until a much-needed change to the more appropriate title was made this past year. The previous record in this category was 90 films.

READ MORE: 2020 International Film Oscar Contenders and Predictions

Like a number of other categories, the International Film Oscar has a multi-stage nomination process.

Continue reading Record 93 Nations In Competition For the 2019 International Film Oscar at The Playlist.

UPDATE: Per final figures, “Joker” has earned $96 million domestically in its opening weekend, meaning that the “what if” scenario described below did actually occur. These are wild times. 

This weekend’s box office breakdown comes with a bit of a warning — “Joker” discussion forthcoming. Lots and lots of “Joker” talk. But luckily, none of it about any of the previous weeks’ controversies. This is purely about the numbers.

Continue reading ‘Joker’ Laughs All The Way To The Bank As The Film Breaks Records & Bests WB’s ‘Justice League’ Opening [Box Office] at The Playlist.

Wouldn’t it be great if instead of wasting so much of October talking about what “Joker” is trying to say, we instead put all of our efforts into supporting something like “Parasite” instead? Or, really, anything from the list below because this month, things are kicking into high gear when it comes to new film releases.

Awards contenders and other buzz-friendly films are scattered throughout along with film festival favorites and only one real Halloween adjacent film amongst them.

Continue reading 11 Films To Watch In October: ‘Joker,’ ‘The Lighthouse,’ ‘The Laundromat’ & More at The Playlist.

In case you missed the memo, the category formerly known as Foreign Language Film is now more aptly referred to as International Film. Granted, over 50% of the film still needs to be in a language other than English, but it’s a much more politically correct title. Additionally, AMPAS has expanded the shortlist from nine to 10 titles. Whether that helps any specific contender remains to be seen as the International Film committee still only has three “saves” to the list.

Continue reading 2020 International Film Oscars Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

With films such as “1917” and “Bombshell” still to be screened, there are only two likely locks for Original Screenplay nominations this year: Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.” The remaining three slots will be fought over in a competitive campaign for the aforementioned unseen films as well as Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin-won’s “Parasite,” Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory,” the trio behind “Ford v.

Continue reading 2020 Original Screenplay Oscars Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

If you’re anything like us, you’ve worked every waking weekend straight since Labor Day thanks to the Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Fantastic Fest and the Emmys. So it’s without any murderous feelings that we absolutely cannot wait for the upcoming New York Film Festival which, unlike most film festivals, runs over the course of three weekends, not one, this year, running from September 27-October 13.

Continue reading 2019 New York Film Festival Preview: The 12 Most Anticipated Films at The Playlist.

It’s sad, but true: summer is coming to an end, school is gearing up (if you’re still of that age), and the fall film festival season is upon us. That means, it’s time to pack away the blockbusters—for the most part, anyhow—put away the superhero toys and get ready for the season of adult-centered dramas and awards-contending movies.

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2019… So Far

With the advent of the fall, we’re going to get a rush of new films, some of them from the Cannes and Sundance film festivals, that are finally hitting North American shores, but also major waves of new titles from the big five film festivals: Venice, Telluride, the Toronto International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and the New York Film Festival.

Continue reading 2019 Fall Preview: The 45 Most Anticipated Films at The Playlist.

There are certain filmmakers working today that almost need no introduction or no hype whatsoever. If a new film is coming from one of these legends, then it’s an event, no matter what the subject matter is. And that’s the case for Pedro Almodóvar. But with his upcoming film “Pain and Glory,” it’s hard to differentiate between the subject matter and the filmmaker.

READ MORE: Full NYFF 2019 Slate Adds Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow,’ Films By Bong Joon-Ho, Almodovar & More

As seen in the trailer for the film, which is set to play at the upcoming New York Film Festival, we see that the story about a Spanish filmmaker that dives into his experiences with his mother, past loves, and health problems, is almost autobiographical.

Continue reading ‘Pain & Glory’ Trailer: Pedro Almodóvar Brings Us His Most Personal Film To Date Starring Antonio Banderas & Penelope Cruz at The Playlist.

Just over a week ago, the New York Film Festival, presented by Film at Lincoln Center, made headlines when it was announced that the highly-anticipated crime drama “The Irishman” from Martin Scorsese would kick off this year’s event. That was followed shortly after by the news that Edward Norton would feature his upcoming film “Motherless Brooklyn” as the closing night selection.

Continue reading Full NYFF 2019 Slate Adds Kelly Reichardt’s ‘First Cow,’ Films By Bong Joon-Ho, Almodovar & More at The Playlist.

It consumed, delighted, and maddened many of us, even from afar, but the 2019 Cannes Film Festival is finally done. South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho‘s social satire “Parasite” won the coveted Palme d’Or prize (a first for South Korea), and Mati Diop’s “Atlantique,” won the runner-up Grand Prix prize, becoming the first Black female director to win a Cannes prize (after 72 years, she was also somehow the first Black female director in competition).

Continue reading Best & Worst Of The 2019 Cannes Film Festival at The Playlist.

The 72nd Cannes Film Festival has come to an end and, as expected, the competition jury made many of the media who had reviewed and screened the film both exhilarated and exhausted.  The Palme d’Or went to Bong Joon-ho‘s masterpiece, “Parasite” (our review). It was always a three-way race from those looking from the outside in, but the awards given to Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” and Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” may have been slightly disappointed in what they went home with.

Continue reading Bong Joon-Ho’s ‘Parasite’ Wins Palme D’Or & Antonio Banderas Takes Best Actor [Cannes] at The Playlist.

The credits unspool, “Un film de Almodóvar” appears on-screen. For audiences, this card is a guarantee of quality—a promise backed up by a fistful of masterpieces: “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” “All About My Mother,” “Talk to Her,” “Volver,” “The Skin I Live In,” among others. Pedro Almodóvar’s latest work “Pain and Glory” arrives at the Cannes Film Festival following its April premiere in Spain, and he’s delivered yet another masterwork.

Continue reading Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Pain and Glory’ Is A Beautiful Celebration Of Filmmaking & Love [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

Is horror making its way to the Cannes Film Festival this year? Granted, for many of these films they exist only as a logline and one official image, but prestige horror is seemingly destined to make its mark on the usually sunny usually Croisette. Then again, rain is in the forecast.

READ MORE: the 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019 

There are a number of interesting trends this year at the French event, including a trio of new American filmmakers in the Un Certain Regard sidebar, semi-old school Hollywood star power (Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone), a slight increase in female directors in competition (a big ol’ four of them), and, as always, filmmakers the festival simply can’t say no too (Pedro Almodóvar, Xavier Dolan, Ken Loach, the Dardennes, etc.).

Continue reading 2019 Cannes Film Festival: The 21 Most Anticipated Movies at The Playlist.

Pedro Almodovar is one the Cannes Film Festival‘s most beloved filmmakers, and has been kicking around the Croisette for so long that he was in France for premiere of “All About My Mother” in 1999 and its return for a retrospective screening in 2017. This year, Almodovar is back to present his eighth film at the festival, the semi-autobiographical “Pain and Glory,” and it looks like it’ll be a strong Competition lineup contender.

Continue reading ‘Pain and Glory’ Clips: Antonio Banderas & Penelope Cruz Star In Pedro Almodovar’s Cannes Contender at The Playlist.