What turns a historical figure into a legend? Shirley Chisholm defied the odds to become a force in US politics. Netflix’s “Shirley” tells the story of this American icon, showing the private moments that inspired her strength. John Ridley, the award-winning screenwriter of “12 Years a Slave,” lends his talents to the project. He takes on added duties, writing and directing this long-awaited biopic.

Continue reading ‘Shirley’ Trailer: Regina King Stars In John Ridley’s Biopic Of A Black Political Trailblazer at The Playlist.

Every year, we think, “Okay, we’re not doing 100 films this year. F that!” But after much consideration, we’re gluttons for punishment. The annual 100 Most Anticipated Films of [Insert Year Here], in this case 2023, is always a huge beast, a herculean task, and one that makes us lose our minds a little bit, tbh. And it’s always fascinating to see what we rank high or low, and then either becomes much more important a film to that year (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Elvis,” “The Fabelmans” not ranked all that high in 2022, but some of the most important films of the year) and or things we rank really high that turn out to either be duds, or just non-starters (now, of course, anticipating something and whether it’s actually great are two different things).

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2023 at The Playlist.

Regina King is having a pretty great year and a half, isn’t she? Over her already-great career, she starred in numerous films and was already a household name, as an Oscar winner, when she landed the lead in “Watchmen.” However, the popularity of that show (and the awards recognition she received) opened her career up even more. And then you have her directorial debut, “One Night in Miami…” which is poised to make King an Oscar darling, only adding to her success.

Continue reading Regina King To Star As Shirley Chisholm In New Biopic From Writer-Director John Ridley at The Playlist.

As we end a truly extraordinary year of movie-going (or movie-staying, maybe), and to add to our comprehensive array of Best of 2020 coverage, Be Reel assesses which directors broke through their indie roots to become household names, distinct voices, and burgeoning auteurs in 2020. 

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020

In order, we look back on these breakout directors, some of whom have arguably already broken out before (Sean Durkin being the most obvious), but are also re-emerging after a long time in the wilderness.

Continue reading The Breakthrough Directors Of 2020 [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.

What’s most notable about 2020’s slate of great performances is the element of surprise. Sure, most anybody betting on Frances McDormand being heaped with praise at year-end will likely win their bets. But 2020’s best films range so far in terms of their “stuff”—themes, style, genre, atmosphere—that it stands to reason the best performances should range, too, in terms of gravity and veterancy. The Playlist’s picks for 2020’s best performances oscillate from bubbly to brooding, effervescent to angry, calm to utterly petrified; the actors responsible for these performances range from newcomers to old stalwarts, talents developing their careers and legends at the peak of theirs. 

Continue reading The 20 Best Performances Of 2020 at The Playlist.

In spite of the general state of the world, 2020 ended up being a pretty great year for films – expectations for long-awaited auteur projects that were supposed to come out this year obviously being exempt from that conversation – and what’s more, it was a great year for film scores and soundtracks.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020

All of the films featured on this list are films that have drastically less of an impact without music, and there is a wide, rather dizzying array of talent here: seasoned professionals who’ve been doing this a long while, young up-and-comers who are interested in muddying the definition of what a traditional movie soundtrack is supposed to sound like, plus that dude from Phoenix writing new music for his wife’s movie (which is really just another way of saying if you haven’t checked out the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s “On The Rocks” yet, do so immediately). 

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

At times, 2020 seemed like it had made time for every obscure musical subgenre under the sun: dancehall (“Lover’s Rock”), noise-metal (“Sound of Metal”), reggaeton (“Ema”), and Baltimore hip-hop (“Charm City Kings”).

Continue reading The 20 Best Soundtracks & Scores Of 2020 at The Playlist.

Greetings, fellow exhausteds, and welcome to The Best Films of 2020, a year that, despite being less than 365 days old, has aged so rapidly that Gary Oldman is circling the biopic. Some, uh, unusual stuff happened this year – I don’t know if you noticed – and it made compiling this collective list even more interesting than usual. A record-breaking 34 regular Playlist contributors submitted top tens (you can find the complete list of those to blame/praise for this ranking at the end of the feature).

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2020 at The Playlist.

We have, it’s safe to say, had a whole lot less to look at this year when it comes to the world of cinema. So many parts of our traditional filmgoing experience have been snatched away, for now, while so many of us wait at home for the whole thing to be done. This has meant a lot of things on a lot of levels, but crucially, for this exercise, it means we’ve been staring at the same four walls of our home for quite some time now.

Continue reading The Best Film Posters Of 2020 at The Playlist.

Is awards season actually happening? Skeptics may still think it’s pointless due to a theatrical distribution system ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, but things are moving forward. And, a small bit of normalcy returned as IFP announced the 2020 Gotham Awards nominations this morning

LISTEN: John Magaro never ate an oily cake making “First Cow” [Podcast]

“First Cow” led all films with three nominations including Best Feature, Best Actor (John Magaro) and Best Screenplay.

Continue reading ‘First Cow’ & ‘I May Destroy You’ Top 2020 Gotham Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

A funny thing happened on the way to a COVID-delayed Oscar qualification deadline. Real Best Picture contenders showed up. That’s right, anyone who thinks they are putting an asterisk on this upcoming 2021 Academy Awards ceremony like the ongoing NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs, or severely shortened MLB season are in for a surprise.

READ MORE: Awards Season Verdicts: “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “On the Rocks”

Granted, we have a long, long way to go.

Continue reading Oh My, We Actually Have A Legit Best Picture Race [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

I’ve likely written too many stories over the past few months using a creative motif that references our current state of affairs to that of the darkest timeline or an alternate world where the sun is shining and popcorn is still popping. But, to be honest, it’s the starkest means to demonstrate how far we are into uncharted waters. And, yes, we’re not just talking about a raging nationwide pandemic, social justice protests and the most important presidential election since, well, the last one.

Continue reading Do You Remember A Little Old Thing Called The Oscars? at The Playlist.

The first half of 2020 has been one of the most tumultuous periods in the century-plus history of the motion picture industry, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire activity of theatrical movie-going for the first time since… well, since the last pandemic, back in 1918. As rules have been (literally, in some cases) rewritten, high-profile releases have been delayed, rescheduled, and delayed again, in an increasingly desperate and depressing game of Kick the Can. 

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2020… So Far 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. 

As the last of the spring theatrical releases finish the cycle to home video, we now get the Should’ve Beens – films that were all set to knock your socks off at the art houses after dazzling audiences at Sundance et.

Continue reading The 5 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Shirley,’ ‘Lady Bird’ & More at The Playlist.

June isn’t off to a particularly great start, following the already awful events of the rest of the year so far, but if there’s anything to look forward to it’s some terrific films scheduled for release this month.

From the latest films by Spike Lee and Josephine Decker to festival favorites that built buzz in the last year, there’s plenty to engage in. Things are far from “back to normal” as it pertains to theater-going (and likely won’t be getting there anytime soon,) but if we’re looking to seek out comfort in art, it’s comforting to know that the quality of the films being released isn’t diminishing – far from it.

Continue reading 8 Films To See In June: ‘Staten Island,’ ‘Artemis Fowl’ & More at The Playlist.

Focusing on anything besides what’s going on in America’s streets is difficult at the moment. In another reality the entertainment industry is debating what can only be described as questionable standards for resuming production in an era of COVID-19, fans are celebrating Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” and getting excited about the potential resumption of the major sports leagues. More pressing issues are at stake and how long the people have to take to the streets for change to be seen remains to be seen.

Continue reading Elisabeth Moss On The “Role Of A Lifetime” In ‘Shirley’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

Filmmaker Josephine Decker is arguably the heir apparent of Miranda July, in that she’s sort of today’s premiere female indie filmmaker now pushing the boundaries of narrative and trying to make her dramas as experimental as possible. So far, it’s worked like gangbusters, especially in her expressive, live-wire drama, “Madeline’s Madeline” (which not so coincidentally starred July).

READ MORE: ‘Shirley’: Josephine Decker Returns To The Rich Landscape Of The Fragile Mind [Sundance Review]

Decker’s latest film, “Shirley, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year (read our review) is about a real-life literary figure—famed horror and mystery writer Shirley Jackson (played by Elisabeth Moss).

Continue reading ‘Shirley’ Trailer: Elisabeth Moss Plays A Horror Author Going Mad For Director Josephine Decker at The Playlist.

Did you know that Logan Lerman starred in two of the bigger hits of 2014? Do you even remember? The two films were Darren Aronofsky’s “Noah” and David Ayer’s “Fury.” And don’t be discouraged if you don’t recall, in the six years since Lerman took a chance on a couple of indies that simply didn’t leave an impression. Bluntly put, it’s been a while since he’s popped on a screen.

Continue reading Logan Lerman’s Unexpected Comeback Begins With ‘Hunters’ & ‘Shirley’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

“I feel like the movies this year are better than they’ve ever been,” says “Madeline’s Madeline” writer-director Josephine Decker about this year’s Sundance fare, before settling into a conversation about her latest film, “Shirley,” which played as part of the festival’s 2020 US Dramatic Competition. “I like to think that having a fascist for a president is at least helping our art succeed….meaning, everyone is taking their art way more seriously.

Continue reading Josephine Decker Discusses ‘Shirley’ & Its Real-Life Literary Inspiration [Sundance Interview] at The Playlist.

Their first meeting does not go well. Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) writes with force and intensity, but when Rose (Odessa Young) approaches her at the summer house party to introduce herself and compliment her work, the writer is brittle, bitter, and distant. She is, we discover, both depressive and agoraphobic; she hasn’t left the house in longer than anyone can remember, and most days, she can barely get out of her bed. 

READ MORE: Here Are Our 25 Most Anticipated Sundance Premieres

She can’t keep up the home she shares with her husband, Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg), much less write anything new.

Continue reading ‘Shirley’: Josephine Decker Returns To The Rich Landscape Of The Fragile Mind [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.

Academy snubs be damned, 2019 was a spectacular end to a decade of outstanding films directed by women. Joanna Hogg reinvented visual memoir with “The Souvenir,” Lulu Wang challenged American conceptions of family and death in “The Farewell,” and Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” adaptation upended one of the most iconic American novels by and about a woman.

Continue reading 52 Films Directed By Women To Watch In 2020 at The Playlist.

The 2019 Sundance Film Festival is upon us and we’re feeling good about most of our Most Anticipated 2020 Film feature predictions; many of the films with early February release dates are indeed making Sundance premieres (“Wendy,” “Downhill,” etc.). This year feels rich already, with new films by Dee Rees, Josephine Decker, Miranda July and many, many more.

READ MORE: Sundance 2020 Lineup Revealed: Films By Josephine Decker, Miranda July, Viggo Mortensen & More

But let’s get to some quick first looks, shall we?

Continue reading Sundance First Look: Anne Hathaway in Dee Rees’ Latest, Miranda July’s ‘Kajillionaire,’ Riley Keough In ‘Zola’ & More at The Playlist.

In 2014, Josephine Decker made quite a splash at the Berlin Film Festival “Double Decker” premiere of “Butter On The Latch” and “Thou Wast Mild & Lovely.” Since then, she’s been making quite the name for herself in the indie film world, with projects such as “Madeline’s Madeline” which made its debut at Sundance 2018.

Continue reading Elisabeth Moss Set To Star In Josephine Decker’s Biopic About Author Shirley Jackson at The Playlist.