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. 

This week, we’ve got two of 2019’s best films, one of 2018’s most acclaimed movies, an HD upgrade for a classic of French cinema, and a new way to watch one of the finest American movies of all time.

Continue reading The 5 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Little Women,’ ‘Raging Bull’ & More at The Playlist.

The 31st USC Scripter Awards nominees were announced by the USC Libraries this morning and they made the race for Oscar’s Adapted Screenplay even more intriguing than previously thought.

READ MORE: Debra Granik on finding that right ending for “Leave No Trace” [Podcast]

The USC Scripter Award is given to both the original author and the screenwriter of the adapted work. This year’s film nominees include “Black Panther,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” “The Death of Stalin,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Leave No Trace.” That differentiates from the WGA Awards who honored “BlacKkKlansman” and “A Star is Born” over “Leave No Trace” and “Death of Stalin.” The BAFTA Awards nominations lined up with the WGA except that instead of nominating “Black Panther” the Brits recognized “First Man.” So, with the USC honors announced there are still eight films in the mix for five Oscar slots.

Continue reading ‘Leave No Trace,’ ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Sharp Objects’ Earn 2019 USC Scripter Nods at The Playlist.

One of the most underrated films of 2018, as far as awards season recognition goes, is definitely Chloé Zhao’s incredible work, “The Rider.” The film debuted early in the year (which is always a disadvantage come awards season) to universal acclaim, but never really seemed to have the staying power to really make a dent in the late-year awards conversation. Well, the National Society of Film Critics didn’t get that memo, as it awarded “The Rider” with its Best Picture award.

Continue reading ‘The Rider’ Named Best Film Of 2018 By National Society Of Film Critics at The Playlist.

One of the upsides of living through turbulent sociopolitical times is that popular art becomes bolder, more subversive, more versatile, and more creative as things in the real world get worse. It’s the end of the world as we know it, but at least we’ll meet it with some great movies. The bitter conflicts, divide, and confusion the US and in many cases the rest of the world went through during the late ‘60s and most of the ‘70s resulted in some of the best and most enduring work in film history.

Continue reading Watch Oktay Ege Kozak’s Top 20 Movies Of 2018 Video at The Playlist.

Karma, they say, is a bitch. Yet it must be down to some cosmic law of balance that as terrible as things have been on a daily basis in other spheres of life, 2018 has been among the most remarkable years for cinema in recent memory. Maybe it’s that the instability and uncertainty of the zeitgeist has ignited channels of creative expression that might have remained dormant in more complacent times; maybe it’s that 2-hour breaks from the constant blithering nonsense that is being alive in 2018 are precious even if you’re watching the “Overboard” remake.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2018 at The Playlist.

2018 has been an odd year. The days churn by with grueling intensity, draining you emotionally with every single blow. Yet, you blink and suddenly, it’s June. How did that happen? Regardless of how 2018 has treated you, personally, the year has presented cinephiles with plenty to laud over, already. In a year that continues to challenge us like 2018, it’s a relief when art can continue to surprise you, impress you, move you, persuade you, gratify you or just simply entertain you.

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2018… So Far at The Playlist.

Finding connections from totally disparate films can be thrilling…

On this episode of Adjust Your Tracking, Joe and I put our knack for comparing different films to test as we discuss two new works coming to theaters in “Foxtrot” and “The Death Of Stalin.” On the surface these films have nothing to do with each other. Dig even just a little below that, though, and they start to speak to each other.

Continue reading Absurdity Leavens Tragedy In Both ‘Foxtrot’ & ‘The Death Of Stalin’ [Adjust Your Tracking Podcast] at The Playlist.

After what has felt like a shorter than usual dry spell for movies (aided greatly by the releases of “Black Panther” and “Annihilation”) we’re heading back into the swing of things. The Oscars will award who they deemed the best of the best of 2017 this upcoming weekend, but more exciting things are taking place this month. Rather than existing as dumping ground for good enough movies that studios didn’t know how to promote, March will debut new films by Wes Anderson, Ava DuVernay, Steven Spielberg, Steven Soderbergh and more.

Continue reading 14 Movies To Watch In March at The Playlist.

Politics might not seem like a funny thing to laugh at right now, but believe us when we say you’ll want to let your guard down for “The Death Of Stalin.” The latest from Armando Ianucci (“Veep,” “The Thick Of It“) is a deliciously biting satire that mixes true history with his distinct brand of comedy and deadly one liners.

Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jason Isaacs, Rupert Friend, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko and Jeffrey Tambor make up the all star ensemble of the movie, based on the book by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, which sees Russian bureaucrats scheming for power following the death of the almighty Stalin.

Continue reading ‘The Death Of Stalin’ Trailer: Armando Ianucci’s Comedy Of Terrors at The Playlist.

We’ve done just about as much coverage of the 2017 year as we can and, while we’ve already managed to hit some bumps in the one week of 2018 we’ve plowed through, we’re ready to look ahead. Over the course of the year, we’re oftentimes lucky enough to attend film festivals all over the world and, while many of the of the films covered are ones that have a trajectory of sorts throughout the current year’s slate (awards buzz), there are plenty that fall by the wayside as they await distribution, release dates and more.

Continue reading The Best Films Of 2018…We’ve Already Seen at The Playlist.

So we’re off and running, galumphing through our end-of-year coverage like a giant hippo-pig destroying an underground mall. But with all of you doubtless still working your way through our immense 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2018 (which is basically our massive trailer for the year to come) we thought we’d take it pretty easy on you today, and take a look at the teasers, advance clips and promos that have whetted our appetites this past 12 months.

Continue reading The Best Movie Trailers Of 2017 at The Playlist.

We all know the big, starry prestige pictures that are elbowing each other for Oscars this year, but as the clock winds down on 2017, it’s always worth remembering the smaller pictures that might be overlooked. This year’s nominees for the British Independent Film Awards certainly provided more than a few choices to add to your catch-up list.

Leading the pack is William Oldroyd‘s “Lady Macbeth,” which snapped up 15 nominations, while Armando Ianucci‘s “The Death Of Stalin” and Rungano Nyoni‘s “I Am Not A Witch” came close behind with 13 nods each.

Continue reading ‘Lady Macbeth’ & ‘The Death Of Stalin’ Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

There are few talents we need in the world right now as much as Armando Iannucci. The Scottish writer and director has been a familiar comedy face in the UK for a long time (helping to create the seminal “The Day Today,” which launched the careers of Chris Morris and Steve Coogan), but he really broke through in the U.S. with his political sitcom “The Thick Of It,” the Oscar-nominated film spin-off “In The Loop,” and the America-set spiritual sequel “Veep.”

All three share qualities — a docudrama-ish quality, brilliant comic performances across the board, some of the greatest swearing and insults in the history of the English language — but more than that, they skewer the low-key incompetencies, egos and absurdities of the political world like few others, and in ways which both capture their times, and prove oddly prescient.

Continue reading New ‘Death Of Stalin’ Trailer Hits As Armando Iannucci Sets Up New HBO Show at The Playlist.

[Updated Feb. 4]

Winner prediction:
1. James Ivory, “Call Me By Your Name”
2. Virgil Williams and Dee Rees, “Mudbound”
3. Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, “The Disaster Artist”
4. Aaron Sorkin, “Molly’s Game”
5. Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green, “Logan”

Current predictions:

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Director
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography
Production Design
Original Score
Best Song
Costumes
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing
Documentary
Foreign Language Film
Animated Feature Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects

Continue reading 2018 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.

There are few better than writer/director Armando Iannucci when it comes to portraying the poison personalities, ruthless double dealing, and heights of absurdity in the political halls of power. So far, he’s sharpened his knives and cut up The White House and 10 Downing Street with “Veep,” “The Thick Of It,” and “In The Loop.” But at a time when The West Wing is more than ably creating scenarios that are the stuff of comic writers’ dreams, it’s the perfect opportunity for Iannucci to take on a different era and moment in history, and he does just that with “The Death Of Stalin.” However, who would’ve thought a movie about the death of an unpredictable dictator would be just as timely as ever?

Continue reading Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Death Of Stalin’ Is A Timely, Hilarious, Bleak Satire [TIFF Review] at The Playlist.

When Armando Iannucci (“In the Loop,” “The Thick of It”) got cameras rolling on “The Death Of Stalin,” he likely couldn’t have imagined it would be arriving in world where D—– T—- was in the White House. It will likely add some extra spice to his upcoming comedy, which brings together all star cast.

Steve Buscemi, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Paddy Considine, Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Michael Palin, and Jeffrey Tambor all feature in the adaption of the French graphic novel by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, that takes a comedic look at Stalin’s last days, exploring the chaos of the regime after his death in 1953 following 30 years of iron-fisted rule over the Soviet Union.

Continue reading ‘The Death Of Stalin’ Trailer: Armando Iannucci Takes On The Dictator With Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor, More at The Playlist.

The Toronto International Film Festival continues to pad out their 2017 lineup, and this morning organizers unveiled the roster for their Platform program. It’s the only competition category at TIFF, and no big deal or anything, but last year’s winner “Moonlight” went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

This year, the selections are pretty wide-ranging. Among the highlights are the World Premiere bows for “Euphoria” starring Alicia Vikander and Eva Green, Mike White‘s “Brad’s Status” starring Ben Stiller, and Armando Iannucci‘s “The Death Of Stalin” with Steve Buscemi, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Paddy Considine , Simon Russell Beale, Rupert Friend, Michael Palin, and Jeffrey Tambor.

Continue reading TIFF 2017 Adds ‘Euphoria,’ ‘The Death Of Stalin,’ ‘Brad’s Status,’ More at The Playlist.

Here’s timely authoritarian-related news for you. Political satirist Armando Iannucci, the filmmaker behind “In the Loop,” “The Thick of It,” and the creative mind behind HBO’s “Veep,” has a new project centering on Russian despot Joseph Stalin. Titled “The Death Of Stalin,” IFC Films picked up North American rights for the film over the weekend and apparently they bested rivals A24 and The Orchard according to Variety.

Continue reading First Look: Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Death Of Stalin’ With Jason Isaacs, Steve Buscemi & More at The Playlist.

There’s now less than a month until Christmas, and after a start last week with our look at the Best Posters and Best Trailers of the year, this week commences in earnest our annual smorgasbord of movie love that is our annual Playlist year-end features marathon. We’ll be looking at the best and worst of films, performances, sequences, cinematography, soundtracks and more across the next few weeks, which will serve as a reminder that 2016 was a pretty strong year at the movies.

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2017 at The Playlist.