Well, it’s certainly that timer again. The 94th Academy Award ceremony announces its Oscar picks for 2022. It’s been a long and winding Oscar season, but this phase of the campaign is about to be over. Will Netflix and “Don’t Look Up,” “The Power Of The Dog” dominate? Will Disney find some redemption in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”?

Continue reading 2022 Oscar Nominations: ‘Power Of The Dog’ Leads With 12 Noms, ‘Dune’ Nabs 10 [Full List] at The Playlist.

It was a day when four Hollywood guild honors had their say and the editors cut themselves into the picture with the 2022 ACE Eddie Awards nominations. On the film side, 10 nominees were recognized in two categories. Those films are “Belfast,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “No Time To Die,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Cruella,” “Don’t Look Up,” “The French Dispatch,” “Licorice Pizza” and “tick, tick…BOOM!”

READ MORE: “Belfast,” “Dune” and “Succession” among 2022 PGA Awards nominees

Surprising omissions in the film categories include “West Side Story,” “Licorice Pizza” and “Nightmare Alley.”

On the television side, “Euphoria,” “Lupin,” “Squid Game” and two editors of “Succession” earned nods in the Drama category while “Hacks,” two nods each for “Ted Lasso” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” made up the Comedy field.

Continue reading ‘No Time To Die,’ ‘French Dispatch’ & ‘Euphoria’ Among 2022 ACE Eddie Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

The National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle have had their say. Now, the American Film Institute’s jury of industry professionals and media members (who decides this group is always quizzical) has made their top 10 selections for 2021 for both film and television. The latter saw recent newcomers “West Side Story,” “Nightmare Alley” and, shockingly (considering the reviews), “Don’t Look Up” make the list.

READ MORE: “Licorice Pizza” named Best Film of 2021 by National Board of Review

In a statement, the always longwinded and “give me a spotlight” AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale noted, “AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon the most outstanding screen stories of 2021 and those who worked collaboratively to bring them to screens large and small.

Continue reading ‘West Side Story’ ‘Nightmare Alley’ Make AFI’s Top 10 Films Of 2021 at The Playlist.

We certainly have not resumed full normalcy as we continue to battle this pandemic, but at least we have movies—even more than last year. With certain reservations about how they were premiered, released, and distributed, this year in film brought back more festival favorites like Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” more massive franchise golden geese like Cary Joji Fukunaga’s “No Time to Die,” more awards-friendly fare that had been held over, like Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2021 at The Playlist.

Andrew Garfield is a talker. He’s got a lot to say in the best way possible. In fact, over a 25-minute interview on a Sunday morning in early December, the Tony Award winner spoke in-depth about challenging his fears in portraying acclaimed musical talent Jonathan Larson in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut “tick, tick…BOOM!” His first singing role on stage or screen and a critically acclaimed performance will likely land him a second Oscar nomination.

Continue reading Andrew Garfield On Challenging Himself With ‘Tick, Tick…BOOM’ & That Key ‘Hathaway Take’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

There is a common refrain being heard around Hollywood these days and it’s not one that will make the Academy happy (and, no, it’s not about an Academy Museum which has only three floors of exhibits). As more and more AMPAS members screen this year’s crop of Best Picture contenders – and, granted, they are barely getting started – many are verbalizing their concern over the Academy’s decision to stick with 10 nominees this year.

Continue reading The Great Hunt For 10 Best Picture Nominees Continues [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

“Hey, boy genius,” Vanessa Hudgen’s character, Karessa, says, strutting up to her friend. Jon, the artistic prodigy in question responds that he’s about to turn 30, thus her term of endearment will soon wear out. Revered playwright and composer Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm; on the day his now legendary breakout play “Rent” was scheduled to have its first preview performance. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda saw “Rent” on stage almost one year, to the day, after Larson passed away.

Continue reading ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’ Review: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tribute To Jonathan Larson Is Strictly For Musical Theatre Geeks [AFI Fest] at The Playlist.

After taking a peek at what’s to come this November, there’s no denying that we’re fully in “the thick of it” when it comes to prestige film releases. Many festival darlings such as “Spencer” and “The Power of the Dog” are making their debut this month, while other slightly under the radar but still celebrated titles will be premiering as well.

Alongside the heavy lifting of some of these awards-friendly titles, there’s also plenty by way of blockbuster releases and easy escapism, from the latest Marvel release “Eternals” to the Netflix/Dwayne Johnson action film “Red Notice.” There will always be gems found in any month (and certainly films to almost always catch up on).

Continue reading 18 Films To See In November: ‘Eternals,’ ‘House Of Gucci,’ ‘Spencer’ & More at The Playlist.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has taken his shot and rose to the top of the musical theater and film world. “Hamilton” made Miranda a global star, and films like “Moana” and the adaptation of his musical “In the Heights” have garnered more interest in Miranda’s songwriting. He has faced controversy – namely, in terms of colorism within the cast of “In the Heights.” Regardless, his popularity garnered him project after project.

Continue reading ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’ Trailer: Andrew Garfield Sings In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Directorial Debut at The Playlist.

Trust us when we say we hope there’s a day when the words pandemic and COVID-19 are never written on the pages of this website again, specifically in any intros to any features. However, the reality is that the collective disruption of 2020 was difficult, and it made 2021’s release schedule something of a log-jammed shitshow. That Delta variant could play havoc with things too, but we’re all starting to learn to live with a world that’s in flux. 

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2021, So Far

All that said, the delays of 2021 have had their pluses.

Continue reading Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films at The Playlist.

Every so often, Netflix will do a big release date announcement that is surely a bit of a flex, showing just how dominant the studio has become when it comes to original content. And today, that is no exception, as the studio unveiled release dates for no less than 40 projects, which will all be released between now and the end of the year, including some of the most anticipated films of 2021.

Continue reading Netflix Dates 42 Films For The Fall: ‘Power Of The Dog,’ Adam McKay’s ‘Don’t Look Up’ & More at The Playlist.

Ladies and gentlemen, Andrew Garfield, can sing. That’s the big takeaway from the first trailer for “tick, tick…BOOM!” the movie adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical that first debuted in 1990. And if you don’t recognize Larson’s name, you’ll likely know the musical that won him a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize posthumously, “RENT.”

READ ME: Andrew Garfield Vehemently Denies Being Part Of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”: “I Ain’t Got A Call”

“BOOM!” also happens to be the feature directorial debut of another lauded songwriter and playwright, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Continue reading Andrew Garfield Sings For ‘Rent’ In New Trailer For ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’ at The Playlist.

Everyone’s getting into the 100 Most Anticipated Films action, only with Netflix, they really have the volume and muscle to back it up. In a huge flex this morning, the streaming service/burgeoning movie studio revealed a video that boasts a new movie EVERY WEEK on Netflix for nearly the entire year.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020 You Didn’t See

Their sneak peek included first looks at the action-comedy “Red Notice” starring Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson, the much-anticipated all-Black Western “The Harder They Fall” (Regina King, Jonathan Majors), Halle Berry‘s boxing drama directorial debut, “Bruised,” a new superhero action-comedy from Melissa McCarthy (“Thunder Force” co-starring Octavia Spencer), “Tron Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski‘s “Escape from Spiderhead” with Chris Hemsworth, Zack Snyder‘s “Army Of The Dead” (revealed yesterday to be arriving in the summer) and perhaps the biggest serve of all, a first look at “Don’t Look Up,” filmmaker Adam McKay’s new political satire disaster film with the insane cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet and dozens more.

Continue reading Netflix 2021 Teaser Flex: First Looks At ‘Don’t Look Up’ With DiCaprio & Jennifer Lawrence, ‘The Harder They Fall’ Western With Idris Elba & Dozens More at The Playlist.

After blasting off into superstardom thanks to his Broadway sensation “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda has slowly, but surely, built up his big-screen and TV credits over the last couple of years. The multi-hyphenate performance has appeared in films and TV projects like “Mary Poppins Returns” and the upcoming “His Dark Materials,” as well as writing music for “Moana” and producing “Fosse/Verdon.” Now, he’s set to make his directorial debut on a new film, titled “tick, tick…Boom!

Continue reading Andrew Garfield To Star In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Directorial Debut ‘tick, tick…Boom!’ For Netflix at The Playlist.

After the massive success of “Hamilton” on Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda has been building his star even more in Hollywood. He’s contributed music to the massive Disney hit “Moana,” and will soon be seen in the film “Mary Poppins Returns.” However, it appears that his next project is going to see him going on the other side of the camera to direct his first feature film.

Continue reading Lin-Manuel Miranda To Helm Big-Screen Adaptation Of ‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’ at The Playlist.