Filmmaker Jeymes Samuel exploded on the scene last year with the release of his star-studded Western, “The Harder They Fall.” The film might have served as his feature directorial debut, but Samuel is no stranger to the world of art, having a long career in music as the artist known as The Bullitts. Now, as an established filmmaker, Samuel is hoping his next film, “The Book of Clarence,” continues his rise in the world of film.

Continue reading ‘Book Of Clarence’: Benedict Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo, James McAvoy, Alfre Woodard & More Join Jeymes Samuel’s Biblical Story at The Playlist.

Carey Williams and Kristen Dávila return with a feature-length adaptation of their short film, “Emergency,” which won both the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2018.

Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are polar opposites. Kunle has his head in the books, determined to get into Princeton, while Sean is on the lookout for epic Spring Break parties.

Continue reading ‘Emergency’ Red-Band Trailer: A Biting College Comedy About Racial Bias & Unbreakable Friendship at The Playlist.

Watch the first trailer for the film we called in our Sundance Film Festival review “an elaborate, chaotically hilarious, intensely terrifying journey worth taking.” Adapted from the Sundance Special Jury Award-winning 2018 short film of the same name, and the feature film itself winning the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance, “Emergency” is a satirical thriller that aims to bring tension humor to the craziness of college and the complications of race.

Continue reading ‘Emergency’ Trailer: Chaotic Coming-Of-Age College Comedy Mashes With Socially Conscious Tensions at The Playlist.

In the early moments of Carey Williams’ “Emergency,” you might think that you’re in a one crazy night movie you’ve seen before. You know the kind: a long night of partying and various drunken confrontations between friends, concluded with a serene moral and emotional parting where everywhere grows up a little. Some of this happens in Williams’ tightly written, perceptive, and deeply poignant “Emergency”(read our Sundance review here).

Continue reading ‘Emergency’ Director Carey Williams’ Talks His “One Crazy Night” Sundance Movie, ‘Superbad’ & More [Interview] at The Playlist.

Flecked with the bold sensibilities of hip-hop, struggle, and swagger, in a way, it’s a bit remarkable that no one, until now, has really tried to wed the parallel ideas of street hustle and grind to the hardscrabble, life-is-cheap ways of the Wild Wild West and yet without making a big thing about it. Because in the stylish, rhythmic, epic big-budget Western “The Harder They Fall,” directed by Jeymes Samuel and produced by Jay-Z (whose refined and unflappably trendsetting music sensibilities seem to saturate the film), everybody is trying to get theirs.

Continue reading ‘The Harder They Fall’: Jeymes Samuel Flips The Outlaw Tale Into A Stylish, Dancehall Western Of Revenge & Sins [BFI London Review] at The Playlist.

There are certain actors that you see in a trailer for a film and immediately think, “Okay, no matter what, I gotta see this!” People like Lakeith Stanfield, Regina King, and Zazie Beetz are just a few of those types of names. But Netflix has gone ahead and grabbed those folks and added them to a cast that includes even more incredible actors for a film called “The Harder They Fall.” Has there ever been a must-must-must-must-see film before?

Continue reading Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield, Regina King & More Join Idris Elba In The Western ‘The Harder They Fall’ at The Playlist.

This weekend brings to cinemas the inevitable result of “Straight Outta Compton”’s 2015 box office success: more studio hip-hop biopics. And while the Tupac Shakur film “All Eyez On Me” doesn’t seem poised for similar box office triumph given a lackluster marketing campaign and a release that might be too wide for its own good, an unconcerned Lionsgate has already cast the lead in its newly announced 2 Live Crew biopic.

Continue reading 2 Live Crew Biopic In The Works; RJ Cyler May Star at The Playlist.

You’ve heard the refrain from filmmakers before: making a movie is like going off to war. The director leads the troops, his actors are soldiers on the battlefield, and everyone leaves their loved ones behind for months. The crucial key to the battle plan is a vision and the unswerving belief in that ideal in the face of all odds and obstacles. For filmmakers, faith in what you’re doing — as you take the plunge and jump off the cliff to make a movie — is everything.

Continue reading Failure To Launch: ‘War Machine’ Starring Brad Pitt Is A Major Misfire [Review] at The Playlist.

It’s a cliché, albeit a tragic one at this point, to suggest that comedy and depression go hand-in-hand. As chronicled by Dick Cavett in connection with CNN’s recent series on “The History Of Comedy,” the late Robin Williams would aim to keep audiences laughing only to walk backstage and say, “Why can’t I be that happy?” The story of the stand-up comic has been documented in many forms, and the song is usually the same in terms of both clinical diagnosis and the hunt to be the next great success story.

Continue reading A Great Ensemble Offers A Serious History Lesson In Comedy In Showtime’s ‘I’m Dying Up Here’ [SXSW Review] at The Playlist.

Television executives seem to be obsessed with the ’70s lately, thought the results so far have been pretty middling. HBO tanked with the rock ‘n roll “Vinyl,” while Netflix has been pretty quiet about their expensive boondoggle “The Get Down,” which still has a second batch of episodes to unveil. But maybe Showtime can find success where there counterparts have failed with “I’m Dying Up Here.”

Executive produced by Jim Carrey, the series offers an intriguing premise, focusing on the ’70s comedy scene in L.A., where you worked your way up the ladder, hoping to break out to a national audience by landing a late-night TV spot.

Continue reading First Trailer For Showtime’s ‘I’m Dying Up Here’ Looks Like The Stand-Up Comedy Version Of ‘Vinyl’ at The Playlist.

On The Rise 2015: 20 Actors To Watch

Continue reading On The Rise 2015: 20 Actors To Watch at The Playlist.

Review: 'Me And Earl And The Dying Girl' Is A Winning Delivery Of Tears, Love And Laughter

Continue reading Review: ‘Me And Earl And The Dying Girl’ Is A Winning Delivery Of Tears, Love And Laughter at The Playlist.

Watch: High School, Romance, And Cancer Come Together In New Trailer For 'Me And Earl And The Dying Girl'

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The Biggest Breakout Stars, Filmmakers & Newcomers Of The 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Continue reading The Biggest Breakout Stars, Filmmakers & Newcomers Of The 2015 Sundance Film Festival at The Playlist.