It’s unlikely that two shows exist that are as wildly different as these. As the trio behind Duplass Brothers Productions continue to spread their combined wealth of talents over film, television, and streaming, the experience of taking in the pilots to their two latest series, “Ryley Walker & Friends” and, “The Broadcast, “offers a glimpse at projects loaded with as much promise as they are dissimilar.

Continue reading ‘Ryley Walker & Friends’ And ‘The Broadcast’ Reviews: Two Polar Opposite Duplass Brothers Pilots Overflow With Possibility [SXSW] at The Playlist.

**This review may contain some potential, unavoidable spoilers about the basics of “Biosphere.’ Spoilerphobes, please beware and return after you have seen the movie.**

A film like “Biosphere” poses a genuine conundrum for the film critic, who is tasked with the job of describing, in some detail, a film that counts among its best qualities the element of absurdist surprise. Its only plot description at the time of this writing, on the TIFF website (where it was added, quite close to the festival, as a “special surprise screening”), reads simply, “In the not-too-distant future, the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.” Well, that sounds like any number of science fiction pictures, while “in the not-too-distant future” recalls “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” The film itself falls somewhere in between.

Continue reading ‘Biosphere’ Review:  A Buddy Movie, ‘Humpday’-Ish Questions Of Masculinity & End Of The World Times Collide [TIFF] at The Playlist.

Bridget Everett is a stand-up comedian who really broke out and proved her acting chops in the 2017 indie hit, “Patti Cake$.” Since then, she’s had a steady stream of roles in features and TV series, including the HBO comedy series, “Camping.” Now, she returns to HBO in the upcoming series, “Somebody Somewhere.”

READ MORE: ‘Cinema Toast’ Is An Odd, Absurd Pandemic-Era Diversion [Review]

Like any good teaser, the new clip from “Somebody Somewhere” is less of a trailer for the series and more of a real tease as to what you can expect from the offbeat comedy series.

Continue reading ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Teaser: Bridget Everett Stars In New HBO Comedy Series From The Duplass Brothers at The Playlist.

One of the more interesting pandemic-era film narratives to emerge, Jeff Baena’s Showtime series “Cinema Toast,” reconditions classic film footage from the public domain, overlaying new dialogue and situations to create new hybrid shorts, landing somewhere between “Mystery Science 3000” and the early 2000s show “MXC.” Produced by The Duplass Brothers, and featuring a host of famous indie directors – including Baena, Alex Ross Perry, David Lowery, Kris Rey, Aubrey Plaza, among others –  “Cinema Toast” is fascinating, but oftentimes hit or miss, as each episode wildly careens through interests, genres, and even forms with decidedly mixed results and no episode-to-episode continuity.

Continue reading ‘Cinema Toast’ Is An Odd, Absurd Pandemic-Era Diversion [Review] at The Playlist.

Despite its playfully elusive subject, and a title that is somewhat of a misnomer, Joshua Rofe’s newest docuseries, Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” produced by the Duplass Brothers, uses the titular monster mainly as an inroad to explore the monstrosity of race relations in California’s so-called Emerald Triangle. Misleading, and somewhat scattered in how it brings a number of disparate narrative threads together, Rofe’s series is nevertheless an unsettling and compelling dive into both the sub-culture of “Squatch Hunters,” as well as the intersection of illegal pot growers and the migrant labor that they employ.

Continue reading ‘Sasquatch’ Is A Compelling Dive Into The Emerald Triangle [Review] at The Playlist.

Does Bigfoot exist? Outside of a grainy, old picture and some eyewitness stories, there isn’t much evidence to support that idea. However, in the upcoming Hulu documentary series, “Sasquatch,” the question is posed once again. And if Bigfoot doesn’t exist, then who the hell tore apart three men in the woods in Northern California near a cannabis farm?

READ MORE: ‘The Unholy’ Trailer: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Cary Elwes & Katie Aselton Star In A Good Friday Horror

As seen in the trailer for “Sasquatch,” the docuseries follows the story of an investigative journalist that typically finds himself embedded with neo-Nazis and other unsavory folks.

Continue reading ‘Sasquatch’ Trailer: The Duplass Brothers Present A Hulu Docuseries About Bigfoot, Murder & A Cannabis Farm at The Playlist.

That’s all, folks: The Brothers Duplass, Mark and Jay, are shuttering the motel. For the last few years, the siblings’ lo-fi, idiosyncratic HBO anthology series “Room 104,” set within the four walls of a multivalent room at an anonymous roadhouse, has served as a stage for filmmakers like Sarah Adina Smith, Josephine Decker, Ross Partridge, Lila Neugbauer, and Macon Blair; each story, naturally, is unique from the others, embracing such a range of aesthetics, approaches, and genres that taken as a whole, the show could and maybe should be identified as a kooky lab experiment conducted for an audience. 

Continue reading ‘Room 104’ Ends Its Intriguing Storytelling Experiment With A Genre-Bending Final Season [Review] at The Playlist.

READ MORE: Marc Maron Remembers His Partner, Lynn Shelton, In Emotional New Podcast

The special aired last night on YouTube and is now available to stream.

Continue reading Watch The Duplass Brothers, Emily Blunt & More Celebrate Lynn Shelton In ‘Her Effortless Brilliance’ at The Playlist.

Mark Duplass, along with his brother, Jay, have been indie film mainstays for well over a decade. And with the world being turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears that the Duplass Brothers are trying to leverage their indie clout and partnerships with streaming platforms to help newer filmmakers find a home for their projects.

READ MORE: Venice Film Festival “Cannot Be Replaced By An Online Event,” According To Officials

Speaking to IndieWire, Mark Duplass talked about how the global pandemic has been affecting his career and why he feels that now is the perfect time for his company to partner with streaming services, especially when so many indie filmmakers struggle to find distributors with festivals such as SXSW, Tribeca, and others being canceled.

Continue reading The Duplass Brothers Want To Help Filmmakers Affected By Canceled Festivals at The Playlist.

Anthology series are a dime a dozen in 2019. What seemed like a unique idea 5 years ago has turned into a regular occurrence, with series like “Fargo,” “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story,” “The Terror,” “Black Mirror,” “The Twilight Zone,” “True Detective,” and others taking the anthology idea and bringing it to TV screens.

Continue reading ‘Room 104′ Season 3 Trailer: The Duplass Brothers’ Eclectic Anthology Series Returns To HBO Next Month at The Playlist.

Anthology series are all the rage on TV nowadays and for good reason. You see, the beauty of an anthology series is that you can hire incredible talent behind, and in front of, the camera that you wouldn’t normally be able to for an entire season. That advantage is on display, perhaps best of all, in HBO’s series “Room 104.”

As seen in the new trailer for Season 2 of HBO’s anthology series, creators Mark and Jay Duplass have put together an incredible mixture of directors and A-list actors to bring the unbelievable stories of the titular motel room to life.

Continue reading ‘Room 104’ Season 2 Trailer: The Duplass Brothers Enlist A-List Actors & Directors To Tell More Crazy Motel Stories at The Playlist.

Sometimes people can have all the best intentions in the world, but not be really able to voice them correctly. That’s the message that Mark Duplass would like to spread today. You see, the indie filmmaker has found himself in the middle of a Twitter shitstorm and all he was trying to do was preach a bit of kindness. Clearly, he just didn’t do it in the exact right way.

It all started when Duplass tweeted a seemingly harmless message.

Continue reading Mark Duplass Apologizes For Controversial Tweet And Calls It “A Disaster On Many Levels” at The Playlist.

HBO has just released the trailer for the third season of their underrated animated comedy “Animals.” and it looks, well, insane. The Duplass Brothers produced show has built a small, but loyal, following since it’s premiere in 2016 and despite being only produced by the brothers, it follows their improvisational films and TV shows. As with the first two seasons, writers Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano wrote plot outlines for the voice actors and animated over their improvisation.

Continue reading ‘Animals.’ Season 3 Trailer: The Insane Duplass Brothers Series Is Back With The Biggest Names In Comedy at The Playlist.

Marvel Studios has made a bit of a name for themselves for hiring talented, indie-focused directors for their big-budget tentpole films. The Russo Brothers, Jon Watts, James Gunn, Taika Waititi, and most recently, Ryan Coogler were all drafted by the studio to tackle $150+ million productions, and for the most part, they’ve paid off big.

Continue reading The Duplass Brothers Turned Down A Marvel Film at The Playlist.

This summer, there are plenty of shows that will give you the chance to return to your favorite characters and worlds — “Twin Peaks,” “Game Of Thrones,” etc. — but if you’re looking to dive into something without the narrative commitment, “Room 104” is worth booking.

READ MORE: The Duplass Brothers Check Into ‘Room 104’ With Trailer For New HBO Series

Mark and Jay Duplass are the creatives behind this anthology series, which runs with a pretty simple premise, all of the stories take place in the titular room. 

Continue reading New Trailer For Duplass Brothers’ ‘Room 104’ Gets Weird at The Playlist.

Mark and Jay Duplass have had an interesting ride at HBO. Their dramedy “Togetherness” was cancelled after just two seasons, while “Animals,” the adult animated comedy series they executive produce, recently wrapped up its sophomore season. But under their deal with the premium cable network, the Duplass Brothers will debut another original effort this summer.

Set in a single room of an average American motel, “Room 104” is an anthology comedy that tells a different story of the various characters who pass through it in each episode.

Continue reading The Duplass Brothers Check Into ‘Room 104’ With Trailer For New HBO Series at The Playlist.

The bond between siblings can be as complicated as it is strongly knit, and as time passes, in certain situations, that relationship can only grow more fraught. And in the upcoming “Rainbow Time,” two brothers are forced to face their past when a woman enter their lives. And today we have an exclusive poster and clip from the film to give you a taste of what it’s all about.

READ MORE: Exclusive: Sarah Paulson & Mark Duplass Step Into A Time Capsule In Clip From ‘Blue Jay’

Produced by the Duplass Brothers, and starring Melanie Lynskey, Timm Sharp, and Linas Phillips (who also wrote and directed the movie), “Rainbow Time” follows Todd, who grew up under the strange shadow of his older mentally challenged brother Shonzi.

Continue reading Exclusive: Poster & Clip For Duplass Brothers Produced Indie Comedy ‘Rainbow Time’ Starring Melanie Lynskey at The Playlist.

Jay And Mark Duplass Sign Four-Picture Deal With Netflix

Continue reading Jay And Mark Duplass Sign Four-Picture Deal With Netflix at The Playlist.

SXSW '12 Review: The Duplass Brothers' 'Do-Deca Pentathlon' Is A Minor Effort That Should Have Remained Buried

Continue reading SXSW ’12 Review: The Duplass Brothers’ ‘Do-Deca Pentathlon’ Is A Minor Effort That Should Have Remained Buried at The Playlist.

Continue reading TIFF ’11 Review: ‘Jeff Who Lives At Home’ Takes The Duplass Bros Mainstream For Their Best Film Yet at The Playlist.

Continue reading First Look: Ed Helms & Jason Segel In The Duplass Brothers’ ‘Jeff Who Lives At Home’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading New Katie Aselton (‘The Freebie’) Will Be A Thriller, ‘Jeff Who Lives At Home’ Still Being Edited at The Playlist.