It will come as a surprise to absolutely no one that the reunion of director Ridley Scott and “Napoleon’s” leading man, Joaquin Phoenix, is a rich, layered, and satisfying offering. There is alchemy at work that transfixes the audience as much as any of the epic battle sequences. 

Directed and produced by Scott, “Napoleon” is based on the true story of Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Phoenix.

Continue reading ‘Napoleon’ Review: Ridley Scott And A Solid Cast Deliver A Brutal, Engaging History Lesson  at The Playlist.

A powerful story of forbidden love, regret, and living as your true self, “My Policeman” is the (reductively) “gay policeman movie starring Harry Styles” that you’ve likely been hearing about for months. While yes, the movie, helmed by British theatre director and producer Michael Grandage (2016’s “Genius”), and written by Ron Nyswaner, based on the book by Bethan Roberts, is that a gay cop love story, it’s also much more complex and moving than that, frankly.

Continue reading ‘My Policeman’ Trailer: Harry Styles & Emma Corrin Star In A Story of Forbidden Love Coming In October at The Playlist.

When Olivia Wilde jokingly called her Grammy-winning beau Harry Styles an up-and-coming young actor, she wasn’t that far off. Styles seems to be popping up more and more on the big screen. “My Policeman” is just the latest film to add to his resume.

READ MORE: Baz Luhrmann Passed On Harry Styles Starring In ‘Elvis’ Because “He’s Already An Icon”

Directed by British theatre director Michael Grandage, “My Policeman” follows Styles’ Tom, a closeted policeman living in a society where it is illegal to be gay.

Continue reading ‘My Policeman’ Trailer: Harry Styles & Emma Corrin Star In A Story of Forbidden Love Coming In October at The Playlist.

After a small role in Christopher Nolan‘s “Dunkirk‘ and a mid-credits cameo in Chloé Zhao‘s “Eternals,” Harry Styles‘ film career begins in earnest this October when he stars in Olivia Wilde‘s “Don’t Worry Darling.” But Styles leads another film out this Fall: “My Policeman,” a romantic drama about closeted gay romance in the 1950s UK.

Continue reading ‘My Policeman’ First Look: Harry Styles Stars In Gay Romance Period Piece This October 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 biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching. 

Two potentially major productions caught in the wheels of the lockdown hit disc and (reasonable) VOD this week, alongside a Sundance doc on Apple TV+,  a lovely new musical bio-doc, and the usual bushel of marvelous catalog titles from Criterion, Warner Archive, and Kino-Lorber.

Continue reading The 13 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘The King of Staten Island,’ ‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’ & More at The Playlist.

Rupert Everett has played famed poet and playwright Oscar Wilde on multiple occasions, but they’ve all been leading up to his passion project “The Happy Prince.” 

When speaking with The Hollywood Reporter he said, “As a gay person, it is a terribly important story to me personally because Oscar really was crucified by the society that had at first adored him.” And to Deadline, he spoke about why he was drawn to this moment in the iconic writer’s life.

Continue reading ‘The Happy Prince’ Trailer: Rupert Everett Writes, Directs, And Stars In Film About Oscar Wilde’s Final Days at The Playlist.

PARK CITY – Credit’s due where credit’s due.  With “The Happy Prince” first time director and screenwriter Rupert Everett shows cinematic skill in fashioning a period biopic about the last days of Oscar Wilde.  The actor’s passion project, which debuted at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, looks appropriately lush thanks to the efforts of Everett’s crew including cinematographer John Conroy and production designer Brian Morris.  Everett has even recruited notable names – and a few former co-stars – such as Colin Firth, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson for significant roles. 

Continue reading Rupert Everett’s Passion Isn’t Enough To Light ‘The Happy Prince’ [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Few artists have made a claim for so drastically altering the shape of their medium than Cecil Beaton, the fashion photographer turned war photographer turned royal photographer turned costume and production designer, who arguably forever reshaped the concept of possibility in the static image. Beaton faced his share of adversity and controversy, rubbed shoulders with the biggest stars and the Queen herself, and generally lived the sort of bohemian life that artists dream of.

Continue reading ‘Love, Cecil’: Tender And Lush Documentary Is A Moving, But Conventional Portrait [Telluride Review] at The Playlist.

The rise of “Black Mirror” has been a fascinating thing to watch. It first aired fairly quietly in the fall of 2011 on the U.K.’s Channel 4, with a short run of three episodes. It hailed from creator Charlie Brooker who, though he had a couple of TV series behind him (hipster satire “Nathan Barley,” co-created with “Four Lions” helmer Chris Morris, and zombie-reality-TV miniseries “Dead Set”), was best known as a TV critic and on-air personality.

Continue reading Ranking All 13 Episodes Of ‘Black Mirror’ So Far at The Playlist.

Watch: First Trailer For Tim Burton’s 'Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children' Starring Eva Green

Continue reading Watch: First Trailer For Tim Burton’s ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children’ Starring Eva Green at The Playlist.

Review: 'A Royal Night Out' Starring Sarah Gadon, Bel Bowley, Rupert Everett, And Emily Watson

Continue reading Review: ‘A Royal Night Out’ Starring Sarah Gadon, Bel Bowley, Rupert Everett, And Emily Watson at The Playlist.

Watch: First Trailer For 'A Royal Night Out' Starring Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack Reynor, And More

Continue reading Watch: First Trailer For ‘A Royal Night Out’ Starring Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack Reynor, And More at The Playlist.

Colin Firth To Play Noel Coward In 'Mad Dogs And Englishmen,' & Co-Star In Rupert Everett's Oscar Wilde Biopic

Continue reading Colin Firth To Play Noel Coward In ‘Mad Dogs And Englishmen,’ & Co-Star In Rupert Everett’s Oscar Wilde Biopic at The Playlist.