Sunday night’s Oscars ended in one seismic Hollywood event that largely obliterated the memory of any earlier tremors. But some of those lesser quakes may actually turn out to have more lasting consequences than the Best Picture announcement omnishambles (our costly, impractical, left-field suggestion for how to avoid a similar cock-up in future? Color-coded envelopes). Among the less sexy but potentially more game-changing records broken at the 89th ceremony was this little nugget: 2017 saw the first Academy Awards at which movies financed by streaming services gained the industry’s highest honor.

Continue reading Netflix, Amazon, ‘The Irishman’ & The Academy: Oscars In The Age Of Streaming at The Playlist.

Last night, something rare emerged at the Oscars: class. All season long, Film Twitter has engaged in an ugly battle pitting Team “Moonlight” versus Team “La La Land,” a fracas that the makers of either film have never engaged in. Even with the Best Picture mixup, the makers of “Moonlight” and “La La Land” were gracious to each other in both victory and defeat. But it appears that Sony Pictures Classics didn’t get the memo.

Continue reading Sony Pictures Classics Exec Says Oscar Buzz For Foreign Film Winner ‘The Salesman’ Is “Fake News” at The Playlist.

The film world is still recovering from Best Picture blunder unlike anything the Oscars has seen, but let’s not let that overshadow the rest of the night.

The evening was not short on inspirational speeches, one of the most powerful coming from someone who wasn’t even there: Asghar Farhadi. The Iranian filmmaker won Best Foreign Film for “The Salesman,” and engineer and the first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari, accepted the Oscar from his behalf, read from a prepared statement from the director who spoke about against Trump’s “inhumane law” regarding the Muslim ban.

Continue reading Oscars 2017: All The Acceptance Speech Highlights & Best Picture Blunder at The Playlist.

Well, that was something. As per usual, the Oscars were a marathon, and it was the very last category that provided the biggest spark the show has seen in decades, and maybe the most embarrassing moment in Warren Beatty‘s life.

The show trudged along into Best Picture to cap off the night, with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of “Bonnie & Clyde,” coming out to present the winner.

Continue reading Oscars 2017: ‘Moonlight’ Surprise Best Picture Winner, ‘La La Land’ Wins 6 at The Playlist.

The Oscars are only days away, and while nominees anxiously wait to find out how their long awards-season journeys will end (spoiler: “La La Land” nominees will be happy), first-time producers Jennifer Todd and Mike De Luca are trying to keep as many aspects of the telecast they can secret. Of course, there are still a number of things we know about the world’s most prestigious awards show.

Continue reading What To Expect From The 2017 Academy Awards Telecast: Matt Damon, Sara Bareilles, Politics at The Playlist.

Let’s start off with the easy stuff, first.  Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann” should have won the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. It also should have won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film over “Elle,” another film I adore. It’s a crime Ade missed out on a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination this year and certainly a Best Director nod over “Hacksaw Ridge’s” Mel Gibson.

Continue reading Dear Academy: Do The Right Thing And Vote For ‘The Salesman’ For Oscar at The Playlist.

While Iranian director Asghar Farhadi will not be attending the Academy Awards this year because of his protest of Donald Trump’s immigration ban, his film “The Salesman“ stands a good chance of taking the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He recently sat down with notable TV director Victoria Hochberg (“Melrose Place“) to discuss his new film for a DGA podcast.

Continue reading 40-Minute Talk With Asghar Farhadi About His Oscar Nominated ‘The Salesman’ at The Playlist.

If he wasn’t already — and there was a good argument that he was — Iranian director Asghar Farhadi became the most important filmmaker alive this weekend. Farhadi became a favorite of festival-goers starting nearly a decade ago with humane, beautifully crafted dramas like “Fireworks Wednesday” and “About Elly,” but broke out much wider with his 2011 film “A Separation,” which won the Golden Bear at Berlin, the Best Foreign Language Oscar (along with a nomination for Best Screenplay), making him the first Iranian national to win an Academy Award, and landed him on Time’s 2012 list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.

Continue reading Why Asghar Farhadi’s Oscar Ban Should Provoke A Flashpoint Of Protest At This Year’s Ceremony at The Playlist.

The weekend arrived with new movies offering a little bit of everything — cutesy family fare, another franchise sequel, and an A-list drama vehicle — but audiences wanted more M. Night Shyamalan.

“Split” topped the box office for the second straight week, bringing in an excellent $26.2 million, and seeing a week-to-week drop of 34.3%. Generally speaking, thriller/horror fare starts off big, then fades away fast, but it seems word-of-mouth and strong reviews are keeping the movie tickets selling for this one.

Continue reading ‘Split’ Wins Second Straight Weekend, ‘La La Land’ Crosses $200 Million Worldwide [Box Office] at The Playlist.

The Trump administration signed an executive order on Friday that bars anyone from seven countries from entering the United States for 90 days.  The order, titled “Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” suspends entry for 120 days for citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. That includes citizens with prior visas and green cards. While it has already forced some longtime residents to be stuck in other countries, it also appears that it will stop 2017 Academy Award nominee Asghar Farhadi from attending the Oscars next month.  

Continue reading Update: Trump’s Muslim Ban Will Keep Asghar Farhadi From Attending Oscars, Academy Reacts at The Playlist.

Taraneh Alidoosti, the lead actress in Asghar Farhadi‘s Best Foreign Language Film nominee “The Salesman,” has announced she will not be attending the Oscars.

Continue reading ‘The Salesman’ Star Taraneh Alidoosti Boycotting Oscars To Protest Donald Trump’s Visa Ban at The Playlist.

There is no greater chronicler of the minute but manifold disappointments and disillusionments of which irreparable rifts in relationships are made than Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. His last four films — “Fireworks Wednesday,” “About Elly,” “A Separation” and “The Past” —  have all examined compromised coupledom in some way. And all have proven Farhadi’s astonishing capacity to trace the ramifications of the incredibly ordinary — an unanswered door, a well-meaning white lie, a forgotten phone — as they unspool with tick-tock clockwork logic toward extraordinary climaxes, that feel both inevitable and unexpected.

Continue reading Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ Is Compelling, But Falls Just Short Of Greatness [Review] at The Playlist.

Well, here we are, in the brave (terrifying) new (still terrifying) world of 2017. Whatever else we have to expect in the 363 days to come (and actually, the first 48 hours have been pretty good on the whole), it promises to be a good year for the movies, as you might have seen from our 100 Most Anticipated Movies piece a month or so back. But somehow, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Continue reading The 20 Best Movies Of 2017 That We’ve Already Seen at The Playlist.

Happy new year dear Playlist readers (or: how I learned to stop worrying and try to forget that 2016 ever happened). As we move forward in these crazy times, we look to the movies for not just entertainment, but perhaps a little hope, guidance and perspective. And so, we kick off 2017 with a look at what’s coming to theaters this month.

As per usual, this time of year sees most theaters still packed and playing awards titles and the latest Disney mega blockbuster (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is, of course, still killing it at the box office), with slim pickings in the truly new release department.

Continue reading 10 Films To See In January at The Playlist.

Prediction based on nominations [Feb. 5]

NOMINEES
1. Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, directorAustralia,
2. Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director
3. Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors
4. Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director
5. Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director

PREVIOUS CONTENDERS (for historical context)
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director
Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director
Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director
Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director

Gregory Ellwood’s Current Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture
Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing
Cinematography 
Production Design
Animated Feature Film
Foreign Language Film
Documentary Feature
Original Score
Original Song
Costume Design
Makeup and Hairstyling
Visual Effects
Sound Mixing
Sound Editing

Continue reading 2017 Best Foreign Language Film Oscars Predictions at The Playlist.

In one of the biggest snubs in Oscar history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nine-short listed films for the 2017 Foreign Language Film Oscar and Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” was not on the list.

The French submitted drama stars Isabelle Huppert in an Oscar-worthy performance and has earned raves since it debuted at Cannes in May. It’s also one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year (89 on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic) and a staple of year-end top ten lists (including The Playlist’s own).

Continue reading Shocker: ‘Elle’ Becomes One Of Greatest Oscar Foreign Language Film Snubs Of All-Time at The Playlist.

It’s one thing to keep track of the Oscar contenders from Hollywood, until you’re reminded that there’s still plenty more to mine from the Best Foreign Film entries coming in from around the globe. Since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival this spring, things have been mostly quiet around “A Separation” and “The Past” director Asghar Farhadi‘s “The Salesman,” but as Iran’s choice for the competition this year, we’re about to hear a lot more.

Continue reading Domestic Discord Simmers In New Trailer For Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 85 countries submitting films for the 2017 Academy Award for Foreign Language Film, and once again, it looks like it will be a very competitive race.

Notable entries include France (“Elle“), Germany (“Toni Erdmann“), Romania (“Sieranevada“), Mexico (“Desierto“), Denmark (“Land Of Mine“) and Iran (“The Salesman“). 

Continue reading 85 Countries Are Officially In The Oscar Mix For A Very Competitive Foreign Language Film Race at The Playlist.

It’s been pretty incredible to watch the rise of Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. Breaking out to international attention with “A Separation,” he hasn’t missed a step since, following that film with “The Past,” and then with this year’s double Cannes prize-winning (for Best Screenplay and Best Actor) “The Salesman.” The attention and acclaim has also seen renewed interest his earlier films, with “About Elly” and “Fireworks Wednesday” receiving belated stateside theatrical releases.

Continue reading New Trailer For Asghar Farhadi’s Double Cannes Prize-Winning ‘The Salesman’ at The Playlist.

Let’s face it, 2016 has so far been sort of a crappy year for movies. It’s been a particularly bad summer blockbuster season, with almost everything coming up short. But even the indie world has been quieter than usual, with some dizzying highs — “The Witch,” “Embrace Of The Serpent,” “Green Room,” and “The Lobster” are among featured on our list of the best of the year so far — but some disappointments too.

Continue reading The 50 Most Anticipated Films Of The Fall Season at The Playlist.

It’s six weeks away from the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, and the launch of the awards season. It surely will amount to a bounty of offerings for cinephiles, as Hollywood puts a troubling summer in the rear view and gets ready to show off prestige pictures. This morning, organizers at TIFF raised the curtain on the first wave of Gala and Special Presentation pictures.

Among the highlights of the films coming to Toronto this year in the Special Presentation slate are: Marc Forster‘s “All I See Is You” starring Blake Lively, Andrea Arnold‘s “American Honey,” Ewan McGregor‘s “American Pastoral,” Nate Parker‘s Sundance sensation “Birth Of A Nation,” Miles Teller‘s boxing flick “Bleed For This,” western “Brimstone” starring Guy Pearce, Rachel Weisz‘s “Denial,” Paul Verhoeven‘s controversial “Elle,” Park Chan-Wook‘s “The Handmaiden,” musical “La La Land” starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Kenneth Lonergan‘s “Manchester By The Sea,” Christopher Guest‘s “Mascot,” Pablo Larrain‘s “Neruda,” Tom Ford‘s “Nocturnal Animals,” Jim Jarmusch‘s “Paterson,” Asghar Farhadi‘s “The Salesman,” Werner Herzog‘s “Salt And Fire,” “Toni Erdmann,” “Trespass Against Us” starring Michael Fassbender and “Una” starring Ben Mendelsohn and Rooney Mara.

Continue reading TIFF 2016 Brings ‘Nocturnal Animals,’ ‘The Magnificent Seven,’ ‘La La Land,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Deepwater Horizon’ & More To Toronto at The Playlist.

So, that’s a wrap. You’ve seen all the full winners of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival here, maybe you’re shocked, maybe you’re surprised, or in many cases just angry at what many are calling “head scratching” choices from the jury lead by George Miller (“Mad Max: Fury Road“), but just remember the judges are a random group of people each year and much harder to predict than the rather consistent governing body of voters in the Academy.

Continue reading Watch: All The Clips & Trailers From The 2016 Cannes Film Festival Winners at The Playlist.

Twelve days of cinephile heaven are over as the Cannes Film Festival wraps up for another year. This evening in the south of France, the George Miller-led jury have made their selection of the winners. And as per usual, there were some major curveballs.

Ashgar Farhadi‘s well-received but not particularly wildly acclaimed “The Salesman” landed two awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay.

Continue reading Cannes: Ken Loach’s ‘I, Daniel Blake’ Wins Palme d’Or; Xavier Dolan Takes Grand Prix, Andrea Arnold Nabs Jury Prize at The Playlist.

There is no greater chronicler of the minute but manifold disappointments and disillusionments of which irreparable rifts in relationships are made than Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. His last four films — “Fireworks Wednesday,” “About Elly,” “A Separation” and “The Past” —  have all examined compromised coupledom in some way. And all have proven Farhadi’s astonishing capacity to trace the ramifications of the incredibly ordinary — an unanswered door, a well-meaning white lie, a forgotten phone — as they unspool with tick-tock clockwork logic toward extraordinary climaxes, that feel both inevitable and unexpected.

Continue reading Cannes Review: Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ Falls Slightly Short Of His Best Work at The Playlist.

After breaking out with “A Separation,” cinephiles have been diving deep into the works of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. Long unavailable stateside, his earlier films “About Elly” and “Fireworks Wednesday” have made their way to stateside screens, highlighting a talent that was already quite formed before his 2011 film. And his followup, “The Past,” only cemented he was a filmmaker with a tremendous voice.

Continue reading Cannes: 3 Clips And New Images From Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Salesman’ at The Playlist.