Unless you’re the lucky type of movie fan who can completely ignore awards season and just enjoy films without worrying about the behind-the-scenes drama that accompanies this time of year, you probably are well aware of the controversy surrounding the Best Actress nominees at this year’s Oscars. Andrea Riseborough earned a shocking nomination, while Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler were snubbed. But there were other snubs, including in Best Director, where some predicted that Gina Prince-Bythewood would earn a historic nomination for her work on “The Woman King.” Alas, that didn’t come to be, either.

Continue reading Gina Prince-Bythewood Says ‘The Woman King’ Oscar Snub “Felt So Insidious & Large” 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, and catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This twice-monthly column sifts through all those choices to pluck out the movies that are most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

This week’s disc and streaming guide includes a handful of big fall releases, as well as another truckload of classics hitting 4K, a couple of red-hot new streamers, and one of the best box sets of the year.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Ticket to Paradise,’ ‘The Woman King,’ ‘Amsterdam,’ & More at The Playlist.

When Chadwick Boseman passed away a couple of years ago, there were folks talking about possible replacements for the actor in the role of T’Challa in the “Black Panther” franchise. A name that was brought up for that role, and really any sort of Wakandan role, was John Boyega. However, the actor has gone on record saying that he isn’t interested in a Marvel role.

Continue reading John Boyega Says ‘The Woman King’ Is “The Closest” He’ll Ever Be To The ‘Black Panther’ Franchise at The Playlist.

Over the weekend, “The Woman King” easily won the box office battle. Better yet, the historical action film was a hit with fans who gave it an A+ CinemaScore. But all that goodwill still wasn’t enough to prevent social media backlash.

In the leadup to the release of “The Woman King” in theaters, a social media campaign to boycott the film grew. This was because many believed the film, from director Gina Prince-Bythewood and star Viola Davis, was going to skip over some of the actual history and focus on one aspect of the story.

Continue reading Gina Prince-Bythewood Talks ‘The Woman King’ Slavery Backlash: “You Cannot Win An Argument On Twitter” at The Playlist.

TORONTO – Venice, Telluride, and TIFF have pretty much come and gone, and, as such, the Oscar race is slightly more clear than it was just two weeks ago. Sure, there are a number of major players yet to show their wares such as Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” James Cameron’s “Avatar 2,” David O. Russell’s “Amsterdam” and Ryan Coogler’s “Wakanda Forever,” but it looks like we have a frontrunner. And, surprise, it’s perennial Oscar favorite Steven Spielberg and “The Fablemans.” Who could have guessed?

Continue reading Steven Spielberg & Viola Davis Set Their Oscar Sights After TIFF at The Playlist.

When fans complain about the inclusion of women of color in action franchises, they often fall back on the same talking points: it’s not about sexism, it’s just that filmmakers should create different, original movies for Black and Brown actors. Gina Prince Bythewood has done just that with “The Woman King” and proven what we already knew: that women always have and always will make formidable action heroes.

Continue reading ‘The Woman King’ Review: Viola Davis Leads Gina Prince Bythewood’s Fierce, Action-Packed Drama [TIFF] at The Playlist.

This week marks the beginning of the 47th Toronto International Film Festival. Films premiering in Toronto as well as those that have already premiered at festivals such as Cannes and Venice, are generating a lot of interest online, which makes festivalgoers excited that after taking caution due to the COVID pandemic, TIFF is back in person this year. While our team has already covered Telluride and Venice, TIFF tends to have some of the most impressive premieres.

Continue reading TIFF 2022: 16 Must-See Films To See At The Toronto Film Festival at The Playlist.

After an uneven summer of new releases, we’re back in the fall season with two festivals either happening currently or right around the corner, with the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival debuting some of the buzziest upcoming releases. Along with some of the festival carryover – both from current fests as well as fests such as Cannes and Sundance from earlier in the year – there’s plenty more to seek out arriving on the big screens. 

The first of two “Pinocchio” adaptations premieres this month, along with two of the scariest movies you’re likely to see this year, alongside a documentary about the legendary singer David Bowie.

Continue reading 11 Films Must-Watch Films In September: ‘The Woman King,’ ‘Blonde,’ ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ & More at The Playlist.

Nature seems to be healing—relatively speaking—and the movies are celebrating in a big way by giving dozens and dozens of exciting new ones over the next four months. In what we can hope continues to be the safest and most productive year of moviegoing since 2019, festivals have returned to in-person gatherings (including in Toronto, Venice, and New York, where we’ll see many below titles premiere), blockbusters are taking up real estate at the multiplex again, and upcoming award ceremonies are preparing to go without the Zoom red carpets.

Continue reading Fall 2022 Preview: 60+ Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.

After a hybrid edition in 2021, the Toronto International Film Festival is back in full force for 2022. The long-running Canadian festival announced a majority of its upcoming lineup with new films from Sebastián Lelio, Sam Mendes, Sarah Polley, and Darren Aronofsky among others, set to screen. And, as always, the distributors behind these films will be hoping to strike crowd-pleasing gold with the festival’s People’s Choice Award.

READ MORE: New films from Darren Aronofsky, Alejandro G.

Continue reading TIFF 2022: New Films From Steven Spielberg, Mark Mylod, Peter Farrelly, Tyler Perry & More at The Playlist.

Sure, we’re only halfway through summer, but it’s time to start looking ahead to the fall and film festival season. Specifically, we have to start thinking about the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) because it appears that we’re starting to see what a couple of the big premieres are going to be at this year’s event.

According to TIFF, one of the major world premiere screenings at the event is “The Woman King,” by filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood.

Continue reading Viola Davis’ ‘The Woman King’ To Debut At This Year’s TIFF at The Playlist.

Last awards season’s Best Actress race was one of the most turbulent. Post-Golden Globes, Nicole Kidman, seemed a lock for her role in “Being the Ricardos,” despite the initial industry buzz for Kristen Stewart, the ever-lively Lady Gaga bandwagon, and some not totally unreasonable outside shouts for Olivia Colman, while Jessica Chastain ultimately took it all. With the industry now at its most productive since the pandemic began, this year’s race is shaping up to be just as fierce as the last: Margot Robbie, Danielle Deadwyler, and Naomi Ackie are already in the running, as is Viola Davis, whose film “The Woman King” now has its first trailer.

Continue reading ‘The Woman King’ Trailer: Viola Davis Leads A Fierce Tribe Of African Warriors This September at The Playlist.

Breathe in. Ahhhh. You feel that? Experts worldwide are reporting that today is, factually speaking, the perfect day to watch a female-directed film. Actually – this just in – every day of 2022 has officially been declared the perfect day to watch a female-directed film.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022

That’s a lot of days, so, as per yearly tradition, below are 52 upcoming titles to get you started.

Continue reading 52 Films Directed By Women To Watch In 2022 at The Playlist.

Putting together the 100 Most Anticipated Films list is a beast in any year. Still, in the new accelerated age of streaming with HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon, Netflix, and all the new players popping up every single day, it seems, the task becomes more and more daunting and nearly impossible (we could have easily gone to 200 this year).

So we’re post-COVID, but oops, not-yet post-COVID, but somehow movies have survived, even if the theatrical market becomes a more challenging and riskier gambit.

Continue reading The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2022 at The Playlist.