It’s a big year for Colman Domingo, with three starring roles (four before Focus pushed “Drive-Away Dolls” to next February): “The Color Purple,” “Sing Sing,” and “Rustin.” And “Rustin” reaches audiences first, fresh off its world premiere at Telluride in August (read The Playlist’s review here). Could Domingo be up for an Oscar nod for his performance?

Continue reading ‘Rustin’ Trailer: Biopic With Colman Domingo As Civil Rights Leader Hits Theaters & Netflix In November at The Playlist.

The world premiere of “Promising Young Woman” at Sundance in 2020 instantly made Emerald Fennell a female director to keep an eye on. And while the COVID-19 pandemic may have delayed its arrival to audiences a bit, the film still racked up the accolades, winning Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards. So, it’s safe to say all eyes are on Fennell’s follow-up to her debut film: what does she have in store for moviegoers next?

Continue reading ‘Saltburn’ Trailer: Emerald Fennell’s Follow-Up To ‘Promising Young Woman’ With Barry Keoghan & Jacob Elordi Hits Theaters In November at The Playlist.

Andrew Haigh’s latest movie, “All of Us Strangers,” is poised to be a massive awards contender this year. After the incredible acclaim of some of Haigh’s past efforts, like “45 Years” and “Weekend,” the filmmaker looks like he has another critical darling this year. And before making its way to theaters in December, the movie travels the Fall film festival circuit, which started with its world premiere at the Telluride.

Continue reading ‘All Of Us Strangers’ Trailer: Andrew Haigh’s Acclaimed Drama Arrives in Theaters on December 22 at The Playlist.

After seven years, Jeff Nichols returns this year with “The Bikeriders,” a motorcycle gang drama starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Nichols regular Michael Shannon, and Tom Hardy. And critics loved Nichols’ upcoming film at its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last weekend (read our review). But while at the festival, the director talked to the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast about more than just “The Bikeriders.” Nichols dished out a little bit of info on a big-budget project he was in talks to do once upon a time: the superhero movie “Aquaman” for the DCEU.

Continue reading Jeff Nichols Recalls His ‘Aquaman’ Was “Never Ever Feasible” & Recalls How “Different” His Version Would Have Been at The Playlist.

It’s been seven long years since Jeff Nichols dropped “Midnight Special” and “Loving” on moviegoers back in 2016. Now he’s back with his latest film, “The Bikeriders,” fresh off its world premiere at Telluride last weekend.  And given reviews out of the festival, it sounds like “The Bikeriders” will be worth the wait (read The Playlist’s review of the film here).

Continue reading ‘The Bikeriders’ Trailer: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon & Tom Hardy Star In Jeff Nichols’ Latest On December 1 at The Playlist.

What is the fine line between altruism and narcissism, and what happens when “higher-calling” religious beliefs blur those demarcations? That vague space is not exactly what celebrated doc filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine are trying to resolve in their compelling new documentary “The Mission.” Honestly, their story is more subtle and nuanced; a fairer and balanced look at the ideas of self-sacrifice, an empathetic examination of a tragedy, and yet a sobering probing of good intentions and the paths that lead us astray.

Continue reading ‘The Mission’: The ‘Boys State’ Directors Examine A Tragic Death & The Hubris Of Christian Messiah Complex [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – The life of Diana Nyad is the sort of true story that’s absolutely ripe for a movie biopic. A record-setting distance swimmer in her 20s, she retired at the age of 30 to pursue a career in sports journalism. A little over thirty years later, she got the itch to challenge herself again and decided to attempt something no man or woman had ever pulled off: a grueling open-water swim from Cuba to Florida.

Continue reading ‘Nyad’ Review: Jodie Foster & Annette Bening Battle Rough Biopic Waters [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – We’re just gonna get the bad news out of the way first. There is perhaps no movie more personally – and emphasis on “personally” – disappointing at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival for this critic than Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails.” As a big fan of his exquisite 2020 debut, “Apples,” we were crossing our fingers that he’d avoid the dreaded sophomore slump. We’re sad to report that’s not the case.

Continue reading ‘Fingernails’ Review: Riz Ahmed & Jessie Buckley Test Their Love Connection [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – At a festival full of gutsy films Daina O. Pusić’s directorial feature debut, “Tuesday,” may be the most visionary of them all. No small feat when you’re premiering opposite works from Yorgos Lanthimos, Pablo Larrain, Jonathan Glazer and Emerald Ferrell, among others. Then again, it’s not that surprising when one of the movie’s central characters is the eternal harbinger of doom embodied in the physical manifestation of a white-eyed macaw bird.

Continue reading ‘Tuesday’ Review: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Takes On A Celestial Embodiment Of Death [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Based on a true story, they said, based on actual authentic events, but what does any of that matter if the actual story presented on screen doesn’t really resonate clearly or deeply? That’s the frustrating part of “Baltimore,” an intriguing but uneven new period-drama about an heiress turned Marxist revolutionary and radical, written and directed by Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor, two Irish filmmakers (sometimes known as the creative pair Desperate Optimists) who emigrated from Ireland to England in the fraught and tumultuous 1980s during the Troubles when the IRA continued to mount their violent campaign aimed at ending British rule in Northern Ireland in order to create a united Ireland.

Continue reading ‘Baltimore’ Review: Imogen Poots Leads A Moody & Jagged Drama About Heiress Turned Marxist Radical [Telluride] at The Playlist.

One viewing of “High & Low – John Galliano, “a documentary chronicling the impressive rise of British fashion designer John Galliano and his equally jarring fall from grace, should be more than sufficient to convince even the most uneducated of the influence he’s held throughout the industry; bolstered by a plentiful amount of talking head interviews from celebrity associates Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz and an abundance of footage showcasing model after model walking the runway in the apparel he brought to life, it’s clear how the man commanded a wealth of respect and love from those who adorned his garments and knew him as both a designer of inspired attire and a dear friend to those who considered themselves as such. 

Venice Film Festival 2023: The 17 Most Anticipated Movies To Watch

The film utilizes a structured signature of so many similar efforts, seemingly going through the motions as it shows him working his way up the ladder throughout the 1990s, initially as his own brand and through his eventual work with the likes of Dior as his own personality is shown growing alongside his body of work; it’s interesting to see the vast number of shots showing a confident Galliano strutting the catwalk as self-assured as any of the models in his employ.

Continue reading ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ Review: Kevin Macdonald’s Fashion Doc Flirts With Cliché & Struggles To Tell A Bigger Story [Venice] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Considering the success and adoration of “Sideways,” it’s surprising it took Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti this long to find another film to make together. Almost 20 years later, the director and actor have reteamed for “The Holdovers,” which debuted at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. And, if you liked their pairing the first time around, you’ll likely find lots to love in this one.

Continue reading ‘The Holdovers’ Review: Alexander Payne & Paul Giamatti Reunite For A ’70s Nostalgia Dramedy [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Every year, almost without fail, there is an American hero, somehow lost to history, who finally gets their moment on the big screen. This year’s honoree is Bayard Rustin, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement who was a primary organizer for the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. The fact his voice has been passionately portrayed by an actor as talented as Colman Domingo and his story will now stream to a global audience via Netflix is perhaps the most rewarding aspects of George C.

Continue reading ‘Rustin’ Review: Colman Domingo Gives Civil Rights Icon His Due [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Since screening Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet,” which had its world premiere at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival on Friday, we’ve been wracking our brains with an unexpected query. When was the last time someone who has so mastered the stage – Baker is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, mind you – crafted a directorial feature debut of such artistic confidence? A film that feels a million miles from the confines of a sterile theatrical setting.

Continue reading ‘Janet Planet’ Review: Annie Baker Arrives With An Auteur-Worthy Directorial Debut [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Early in his new film “The Pigeon Tunnel,” Errol Morris creates one of the most vivid images of a career packed with them: a man in a suit walking through a meadow filled with mirrors. He’s always had a gift for finding specific and memorable visual metaphors for the stories he tells and the themes he’s drawn to; here, what’s noteworthy isn’t just the mirrors but the way the man keeps moving away from them.

Continue reading ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ Review: Errol Morris’s Latest Works In A Familiar Style, But With New Thematic Concerns [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE- Despite a varied resume that includes art-house sci-i, a classic coming-of-age tale, and a haunting drama on racial injustice, we weren’t sure Jeff Nichols had it in him to make a movie such as “The Bikeriders.” After its world premiere at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival, we’ll likely never doubt him again. Nichols has crafted a highly entertaining period piece on a legendary biker club that is at times sexy, funny, and filled with fisticuffs.

Continue reading ‘The Bikeriders’ Review: Jodie Comer & Tom Hardy Rule The Road In Jeff Nichols’ New Drama [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – Let the record show that Emerald Fennell is an utterly fearless filmmaker. I mean, we already knew that to an extent after her audacious debut, “Promising Young Woman,” but to say she’s taken that to another level with her latest extravagant concoction, “Saltburn,” is an understatement of epic proportions. This is a swinging-for-the-fences with the bases-loaded type of movie. An irreverent monster of a film that leaves you buzzing.

Continue reading ‘Saltburn’ Review: Barry Keoghan’s Posh Big Boy Summer Is Truly Wild [Telluride] at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – There is quiet tension bubbling underneath Andrew Haigh’s latest endeavor. An often sublime drama that features a unique reunion between a son and his parents and a transformative, passionate romance. Both events are unexpected and both have an air of mystery surrounding them. Not everything is what it seems, but it may not matter as much as the themes and performances populating “All of Us Strangers,” which debuted this evening at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival.

Continue reading ‘All Of Us Strangers’ Review: Andrew Scott Is Superb In Andrew Haigh’s Portrait Of Inherent Loneliness [Telluride] at The Playlist.

Not only a beautiful destination, the Telluride Film Festival is a cinephile’s paradise; a secluded city in the Colorado mountains that’s hard to get to and then rather exclusive, which is probably partly the draw and the reason so many filmmakers and actors adore Telluride. But it’s also a cinephile’s haven in terms of community, there’s a knowing togetherness, lack of hierarchy and you can easily be in line for a film with a random science teacher from Albuquerque who is also a massive film nerd as you could be next to legendary director Werner Herzog.

Continue reading Telluride Film Festival 2023: The 12 Most Anticipated Movies To Watch at The Playlist.

The 2023 Telluride Film Festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an extra day of screenings and an impressive 20 world premieres. Notable films making their debuts in the mountains include Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” follow-up, “Saltburn”; Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” with Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell; Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy; and Ethan Hawke‘s latest directorial effort, “Wildcat,” co-starring Telluride resident Laura Linney.

Continue reading Telluride 2023: New Films From Emerald Fennell, Andrew Haigh, Jeff Nichols, Alexander Payne at The Playlist.