When your revered crew of original principals doesn’t return for your sequel —director Denis Villeneuve, Emily Blunt as your star, legendary Roger Deakins as cinematographer and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson as your composer — you don’t really stand a chance. Much to its detriment, all these A-list players are absent in “Sicario: Day Of The Soldado,” and thus the drug cartel film, more action thriller than nuanced dramatic thriller this time, pales in comparison.

Continue reading ‘Sicario: Day Of The Soldado’ Is Season Two Of The Taylor Sheridan Franchise, Both Toxic & Intense [Review] at The Playlist.

“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” has an uphill battle when it debuts at the end of this month. While the film has had some pretty great marketing, including wonderful trailers that bring back the vibe of the first movie, there’s still a fairly large contingent of film fans saying, “But why?”

That’s the big question that looms over the head of ‘Day of the Soldado.’ Why make a sequel to a film that doesn’t necessarily call for one?

Continue reading Early Reactions To ‘Sicario 2’ Say The Film Is “Fantastic” And “Amazing” at The Playlist.

It’s only June and already it feels like many of the hottest films of the summer have come and gone (in part becathe use blockbuster season is starting earlier and earlier each year). “Avengers: Infinity War,””Deadpool 2,” and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” have all debuted in theaters to varying levels of success, and before July hits with more Marvel, a “Mission: Impossible” sequel and Dwayne Johnson proving he can make any premise seem even remotely alluring due to his sheer level of charm, we have a month to explore a more eccentric variety of titles.

Continue reading 10 Movies To Watch In June at The Playlist.

Watching the new trailer for “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” it’s hard to imagine that the franchise had its beginnings with a thoughtful, and often scary, look at the Mexican cartels from director Denis Villeneuve. The director didn’t return for the sequel, and if you judge the film based solely on this new trailer, you’d assume ‘Day of the Soldado’ is your everyday action film, with fast-paced, quick-cut footage, lots of explosions and hip-hop playing in the background.

Continue reading ‘Sicario: Day Of The Soldado’ Trailer: This Time There’s No Rules at The Playlist.

Sure, it’s still April, but summer is almost here. At least the summer movie season, which starts extra early this year thanks to Marvel’s early release of “Avengers Infinity War”—yep, blockbusters are even encroaching into the spring because that precious release date real estate is getting harder and harder to find. And summer means blockbusters and huge tentpoles, but for the eclectic, omnivorous filmgoer, there’s a variety of high, low and in the middle art to take in.

Continue reading Summer Movie Preview: 36 Films Worth The Watch at The Playlist.

Right before he became the internet’s go-to director for thought-provoking science fiction with films like “Arrival“and “Blade Runner 2049,” Denis Villeneuve delivered the critically acclaimed crime thriller “Sicario.” That film starred Emily Blunt as an FBI agent who gets embroiled in the U.S./Mexico drug war. It also marked the first entry in screenwriter Taylor Sheridan’s unofficial trilogy exploring the moral complexity of American law enforcement, followed by “Hell or High Water“and last year’s “Wind River.”

Now, Sheridan and incoming director Stefano Sollima continue that legacy with “Sicario 2: Day of the Soldado.” While Blunt served as the audience surrogate in the first film, the sequel goes deeper into the drug war and Blunt is nowhere to be found.

Continue reading New ‘Sicario 2: Day Of The Soldado’ Trailer: Benicio Del Toro Starts A War at The Playlist.