Whenever you talk about “The Matrix” and its sequels, there are plenty of people that hate everything that came after the original film. However, even in the worst of the sequels, it’s hard to deny the trio of leads in the films, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Laurence Fishburne, is great. So, when “The Matrix Resurrections” was announced and Fishburne wasn’t among the returnees, people were rightfully bummed.

Continue reading Laurence Fishburne Offers His Honest Take On ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ & Was Just Fine With Not Being Involved 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 twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

Some of this month’s big Oscar contenders make their way to disc and streaming in this week’s round-up, alongside a couple of splashy fall star vehicles, a cornucopia of Romanian cinema, and some juicy genre cinema.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘House Of Gucci,’ ‘Belfast’ & More at The Playlist.

The Costume Designer Guild announced their nominees for the 2022 CDG Awards and there were actually some major surprises. Sure, Jenny Beaven’s work in “Cruella” and Janty Yates’ frocks in “House of Gucci” earned respective category nominations, but few would have expected Derica Cole Washington‘s work in “Zola” or Ruth E. Carter’s designs in “Coming 2 America” to be remembered.

Continue reading ‘House of Gucci,’ ‘Zola’ & ‘Book of Boba Fett’ Among 2022 Costume Designer Guild Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

While “The Matrix” franchise series recently returned to the big screen and HBO Max with “The Matrix Resurrections,” the future of the series remains in serious doubt. While Omicron isn’t helping, and the fact that the film was available day and date on HBO Max, its box-office showing thus far hasn’t been very remarkable. ‘Resurrections’ has only grossed $32.9 million domestically and $107 million worldwide, numbers not impressive enough to merit sequels.

Continue reading The ‘Matrix’ Future: Insiders Cast Further Doubt On Potential Plans For Spin-Offs & Sequels 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 biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

Our last streaming and buying guide of the year offers up plenty of fun for those of you lucky enough to have some time off— a handful of ace new releases, an eclectic assortment of catalog titles, and a must-have box set for martial arts aficionados.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘No Time To Die,’ ‘The French Dispatch,’ ‘Matrix Resurrections’ & More at The Playlist.

In a world where streaming platforms keep their viewing statistics a big secret, it’s not all that surprising HBO Max hasn’t released any sort of data about the first several days of release for “The Matrix Resurrections.” But perhaps that secrecy also has a little to do with slightly lackluster numbers? 

READ MORE: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Becomes First Pandemic-Era Film To Pass $1 Billion As ‘Matrix’ & ‘King’s Man’ Struggle At The Box Office

According to a report from Samba TV (via Deadline), the third-party streaming statistics organization surveyed its users and found data that suggests “The Matrix Resurrections” was streamed by 2.8 million smart TV U.S.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Reportedly Has Fewer Viewers On HBO Max Than ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ In Its First 5 Days at The Playlist.

When you look at the history of the “Matrix” franchise after the release of “The Matrix Revolutions” in 2003, there are several starts and stops where Warner Bros. was reportedly actively developing a new reboot/sequel of the franchise with an all-new cast and crew. Rumors pointed to veteran screenwriter Zak Penn working to bring the franchise back with more speculation hinting that Michael B.

Continue reading ‘Matrix’ Producer Says WB Was Actively Looking To Resurrect The Franchise With Or Without The Wachowskis at The Playlist.

As you approach the end of “The Matrix Resurrections,” it’s clear the film leaves the idea of future installments up for discussion. Can the series end now after this film? Sure. Does it have to? Absolutely not. (Though, the idea of where the franchise could possibly go is part of a big debate in the new episode of The Playlist Podcast.) Regardless of what fans might want, it appears the person who controls the fate of “The Matrix” franchise, director Lana Wachowski, has no desire to return to tell another tale.

Continue reading Lana Wachowski Shoots Down The Idea Of A New ‘Matrix’ Trilogy at The Playlist.

In something of a surprise, the Visual Effects branch went in a more traditional, blockbuster direction for the 10 films on the VIsual Effects Oscars shortlist. Films still in the mix for a 2022 Oscar nomination include “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” Dune” and “Free Guy.” Snubbed contenders include “The Green Knight,” “Don’t Look Up” and “Finch.”

READ MORE: “Shang Chi and the Ten Rings” has a winning spirit [Review]

This story is still developing…

Here are the 10 films still up for the 2022 Academy Award for Visual Effects:

“Black Widow”
“Dune”
“Eternals”
“Free Guy”
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”
“Godzilla vs.

Continue reading ‘Matrix Resurrections,’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home Make Oscars 2022 VFX Shortlist at The Playlist.

There’s a scene in Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections,” her romantic, metatextual return to the franchise that made her and her sister Lilly stars, that encapsulates what sets this franchise apart from any other. Neo sits in reality contemplating whether he should re-enter the matrix to save Trinity: “I never believed I was the one. But she believed. It’s my turn to believe in her.” 

The unbreakable bond between Neo and Trinity, a romance that transcends dimensions and time, is the human engine that propels this steampunk vehicle.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Review: A Powerful Love Story Allows Lana Wachowski’s Meta Sequel To Fly at The Playlist.

Denis Villeneuve, along with most people who got early access to watch the film, pleaded with folks to see “Dune” in theaters instead of HBO Max when it was released in October. It was an experience that required the biggest screen and the best sound system available. You could argue the same about “The Matrix Resurrections.” It’s a top-tier action film that people should see on the biggest screen available.

Continue reading Keanu Reeves Understands If People Watch ‘Matrix Resurrections’ First On HBO Max: “Stream It If You Have To” at The Playlist.

“The Matrix Resurrections” is the latest example of a franchise getting pulled from the shelf, dusted off, and given a fresh coat of paint. This time, instead of both Wachowskis, we just get Lana Wachowski returning to direct the newest ‘Matrix‘ sequel nearly 20 years after ‘Revolutions.’ Also returning are Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as Neo and Trinity, respectively.

Continue reading ‘Matrix Resurrections’ Early Reactions Suggest Some Audiences Took The Blue Pill, Others The Red at The Playlist.

We all know “The Matrix” franchise is getting a long-awaited sequel later this month, as “The Matrix Resurrections” is set to hit theaters and HBO Max simultaneously. But this isn’t just a reintroduction to the world and lore of “The Matrix” for fans, it’s also a reintroduction for Mr. Anderson, aka Neo.

READ MORE: ‘Iron Fist’ Alum Jessica Henwick Chose ‘The Matrix’ Sequel Over A Possible MCU Role In ‘Shang-Chi’

As seen in the new trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections,” the story of the sequel once again follows Neo as he fights the evil that exists in the Matrix.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Trailer: Neo Has To Wake Up Again In The New Sequel From Lana Wachowski at The Playlist.

Even though there have been more than two dozen Marvel Studios films and TV series over the last decade-plus, it’s still a fairly rare opportunity for an actor to be offered a role in the MCU. It’s even rarer still to get a second chance at a Marvel character. Yet, Jessica Henwick not only had that but turned it down in favor of joining the upcoming ‘Matrix’ sequel, “The Matrix Resurrections.”

Speaking to EW, Henwick described the situation she was in before auditioning for her eventual role as Bugs in ‘Resurrections.’ You see, the young actress was not only asked to audition for the ‘Matrix’ sequel but she was also in the running for a role in Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” The issue is that Disney and Warner Bros.

Continue reading ‘Iron Fist’ Alum Jessica Henwick Chose ‘The Matrix’ Sequel Over A Possible MCU Role In ‘Shang-Chi’ at The Playlist.

One of the early elements reported on Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections” was that the film would see an actor play a “Morpheus-type role” in the fourth installment and when Warner Bros. cast Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (“Watchmen,” ‘Aquaman,” “Candyman”) in the role, it felt like he ultimately was replacing Lawrence Fishburne.

READ MORE: Lilly Wachowski Found The Idea Of Returning To Direct ‘Matrix 4’ “Expressly Unappealing”

The trailer was released yesterday, and it’s hard to convince yourself after watching it that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is playing someone that just happens to look/sound like Morpheus.

Continue reading ‘The Matrix Resurrections’: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Seemingly Confirms He’s Playing A Younger Morpheus at The Playlist.