“These are the tales, the freaky tales,” repeatedly intones Oakland rap legend Too $hort over the interstitials of writer and directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s “Freaky Tales.” This Bay Area anthology film takes its title from the over nine-minute song, which is itself an extended chronicle of prominent personalities the rapper encounters. While the directing duo occasionally approximates something wild in their headrush of 1987 nostalgia, they do not earn the second line of the rap.

Continue reading ‘Freaky Tales’ Review: Pedro Pascal Stars In An Energetic But Overstuffed Bay Area Anthology Loveletter [Sundance] at The Playlist.

**Spoilers for “Captain Marvel” follow. You’ve been warned.**

Unless you’re a comic book nerd that actually knows the history of the character of Captain Marvel, like me (not the best brag in the world, I must admit), you probably didn’t think twice when it was revealed that Annette Bening’s secondary character in the recent Marvel Studios film was revealed to be Dr. Wendy Lawson.

READ MORE: ‘Captain Marvel’ Flies High & Fast, But Struggles With Narrative Turbulence [Review]

However, when I heard the name, my mind went into overdrive.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’ Directors Discuss How Annette Bening’s Role Was Changed To A Female At The Last Minute at The Playlist.

Movies aren’t a zero-sum game. Audiences do have to make decisions about their time and money, but one film’s success doesn’t necessarily mean another’s failure. But trolls–both anonymous and of the James Woods variety–recently decided to pit “Captain Marvel” against “Alita: Battle Angel” due to anger over a misreading of the former’s feminist politics, both inherent in the film and from its vocal star Brie Larson.

Continue reading #Fail: James Woods & His Troll Brethren’s Recent Attempts To Pit ‘Alita’ Against ‘Captain Marvel’ Crashed & Burned at The Playlist.

When you think about Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Captain Marvel,” which tells the story of an intergalactic freedom fighter and member of the Kree warrior race that has to save Earth from an invasion from the evil alien race of Skrulls, you probably wouldn’t immediately think of “RoboCop” as an apt cinematic comparison. However, according to co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the ‘80s classic action satire served as one of the biggest inspirations for the upcoming superhero flick.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’ Directors Explain Why ‘RoboCop’ Is A Huge Inspiration For The Superhero Film at The Playlist.

Every single time that Marvel Studios attempts to launch a new solo superhero franchise, fans begin to ask, “Is this the time that Kevin Feige and Co. will falter and release a dud?” And every single time, fans’ worries are put to bed, thanks to a consistency that has been unrivaled in the history of Hollywood. Knowing this, we still are sitting here three months away from “Captain Marvel” launching the MCU’s first solo female superhero franchise, and there’s still that worry.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’ Directors Compare Film To ’48 Hrs.’ & ‘Lethal Weapon’ While Maybe Hinting At A Surprise Cameo at The Playlist.

Earlier today, we got our first look at Brie Larson in costume as the titular hero in Marvel Studios upcoming 21st film “Captain Marvel.” And now, just because EW loves to tease, we got a slew of new pictures showcasing the rest of this amazing cast of new heroes and old favorites.

READ MORE: ‘Captain Marvel’ First Look: Brie Larson Is Here To Defeat Thanos

Allow me to show my nerd just a little, as I jump into what we see in the images.

Continue reading More ‘Captain Marvel’ Images Reveal De-Aged Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn’s Skrulls, & Jude Law’s Starforce at The Playlist.

When you think of modern film composers, there are some pretty big names associated with the title: John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Alexandre Desplat and Michael Giacchino, are just a few of the famous artists who come to mind. Sadly, there aren’t that many well-known female composers aside from a few like Rachel Portman, perhaps Lisa Gerrard and more recently, Mica Levi.

Continue reading ‘Captain Marvel’: Pinar Toprak Will Be The MCU’s First Female Composer at The Playlist.

When it was announced yesterday that Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck would direct upcoming the “Captain Marvel” movie, diehard Marvel fans were a bit taken aback. After months of speculation with some pretty big names thrown out there — including Kathryn Bigelow and Angelina Jolie — fans were surprised to see the studio select two directors with a considerably quieter body of work.

Continue reading Kevin Feige Explains Why Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck Were The Right Fit For ‘Captain Marvel’ at The Playlist.

In 2015’s underseen “Mississippi Grind,” co-writers and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck produced a charming story of a couple of down-on-their-luck gamblers played by Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds. It’s a delightful little movie about addiction and the challenge of overcoming your demons, and until now, it was the biggest step forward in the career of its two filmmakers.

READ MORE: The Design For ‘Captain Marvel”s Costume Will Make Fans Gasp

Now they’re playing on a whole new level.

Continue reading Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (‘Mississipi Grind’) Will Direct ‘Captain Marvel’ at The Playlist.

Listen: 68-Minute Talk With 'Mississippi Grind' Directors Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden

Continue reading Listen: 68-Minute Talk With ‘Mississippi Grind’ Directors Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden at The Playlist.

Watch: Ryan Reynolds & Ben Mendelsohn Roll The Dice In The First Trailer For Gambling Drama ‘Mississippi Grind’

Continue reading Watch: Ryan Reynolds & Ben Mendelsohn Roll The Dice In The First Trailer For Gambling Drama ‘Mississippi Grind’ at The Playlist.

Karlovy Vary Interview: Director Ryan Fleck Talks 'Mississippi Grind,' Digital Vs. Film, And More

Continue reading Karlovy Vary Interview: Director Ryan Fleck Talks ‘Mississippi Grind,’ Digital Vs. Film, And More at The Playlist.

Sundance Review: Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden's 'Mississippi Grind' Starring Ryan Reynolds And Ben Mendelsohn

Continue reading Sundance Review: Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden’s ‘Mississippi Grind’ Starring Ryan Reynolds And Ben Mendelsohn at The Playlist.

Continue reading Ben Mendelsohn Joining Boden/Fleck’s ‘Mississippi Grind’ With Jake Gyllenhaal at The Playlist.

Jake Gyllenhaal Does The 'Mississippi Grind' For 'Half Nelson' Directors Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden

Continue reading Jake Gyllenhaal Does The ‘Mississippi Grind’ For ‘Half Nelson’ Directors Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden at The Playlist.

The film was powerful and affecting, and expectations were high for whatever would end up being their sophomore effort. The team decided to throw everyone a curveball, literally, as their next film “Sugar” followed the rise and fall of a Dominican baseball player chosen to play in the American minor leagues.

Continue reading Zach Galifianakis, Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden Talk ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.

The soundtrack does feature contemporary indie bands like The Wowz, Pink Mountaintops, The Middle East, ’80s punk from The Damned, A Pixies’ cover on piano (Maxence Cyrin’s “Where Is My Mind”), soul R&B funk from Little Denise (the awesome “Check Me Out“) and Egyptian funk (Rachid Taha’s “Habina“) to name a few.

Continue reading The Drums, Common, Black Sabbath, Queen, The XX & More: All The Music Featured In ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.

While doing press for their latest effort, the ensemble dramedy “It’s Kind Of A Funny Story” set to hit theaters on October 8th, we had the chance to catch up with the directing pair, who dropped both good and bad news about some of the projects on their slate.

Continue reading Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden Say ‘Calamity Physics’ Is In Miramax Death Limbo; Working On New Ensemble Film, Want To Work With Mark Ruffalo at The Playlist.

Continue reading ‘It’s A Kind Of Funny Story’ Soundtrack Features Broken Social Scene, Score, New Song; Release Date September 28 at The Playlist.

When we first meet Craig (Keir Gilchrist) he’s in the emergency room at the hospital having brought himself there after contemplating suicide; and it’s not been the first time he’s had these thoughts.

Continue reading TIFF ’10 Review: ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ Is Kind Of A Disappointment at The Playlist.

The film centers on Keir Gilchrist as a suicidal teen who checks himself into an adult psychiatric hospital and features a stellar supporting cast including Zach Galifinakis, Emma Roberts, Zoë Kravitz, Jeremy Davies, doctors and psychiatrists Viola Davis and Aasif Mandvi and parents, Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan.

Continue reading Watch: Keir Gilchrist Gets Hit On In A Psych Ward In ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.

Author Vizzini also reveals that the film will now play on approximately 500 screens country-wide for it’s October 8th release, instead of the originally planned limited LA/NY September 24th bow. Definitely sounds like a vote of confidence from Focus which bodes well for the film’s prospects.

Continue reading New Poster & Photos For Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden’s ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.

A romantic spy drama based on the 2005 French film “Anthony Zimmer,” this U.S. version (directed by Von Donnersmarck (a German and the same man behind “The Lives Of Others”) follows a bumbling American tourist (Depp) as he finds himself romantically involved with an international spy (Jolie) in what sounds very much in the vein of a Hitchcockian tale, but likely isn’t the case (it’s a fun little story, but isn’t all that meaty).

Continue reading ‘The Tourist’ Starring Angelina Jolie & Johnny Depp Scheduled For A December 10 Release; ‘Funny Story’ Moves To Oct 8 at The Playlist.

The film centers on Keir Gilchrist as a suicidal teen who checks himself into an adult psychiatric hospital and features a stellar supporting cast including Zach Galifinakis, Emma Roberts, Zoë Kravitz, Jeremy Davies, doctors and psychiatrists Viola Davis and Aasif Mandvi and parents, Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan.

Continue reading First Poster For Ryan Fleck And Anna Boden’s ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.

The film is an adaptation of Ned Vizzini’s novel of the same name and stars Keir Gilchrist as a suicidal teen who checks himself into a psychiatric hospital, only to be administered into the adult facilities where he meets a colorful array of characters and even a girl of his age.

Continue reading First Trailer For Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden’s ‘It’s Kind Of A Funny Story’ at The Playlist.