While Zach Braff might be best known for his comedic acting roles, his filmmaking ventures, specifically the three he’s written and directed, have primarily dealt with serious family dramas and that specific genre. Of course, everyone knows his 2007 breakout film, “Garden State,” or at least the memes, which tackles a quarter-life crisis and depression. Then came “Wish I Was Here” in 2014, covering fatherhood and cancer (he also directed the 2017 comedy, “Going in Style,” which he didn’t write and didn’t feel personal).

Continue reading ‘A Good Person’ Review: A Terrific Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman Aren’t Enough To Salvage Zach Braff’s Hollow Family Drama at The Playlist.

EW reports that in honor of his “Grease” co-star Olivia Newton-John‘s death six months ago, John Travolta recreates “Summer Nights” for T-Mobile’s new Super Bowl commercial. In the spot, Travolta teams up with best friends/funny guys Zach Braff and Donald Faison to plug T-Mobile’s service to the tune of his duet with Newton-John in the 1978 films.  

READ MORE: ‘Grease: Rise Of The Pink Ladies’ Teaser: Paramount+ Is Set To Debut The ‘Grease’ Prequel Series In April

But is it a worthy homage?

Continue reading John Travolta Pays Tribute To Late ‘Grease’ Co-Star Olivia Newton-John In T-Mobile’s New Super Bowl Ad at The Playlist.

It’s been 18 years since writer/director/actor Zach Braff’s directorial debut, “Garden State,” the twee emo-ish Sundance film that taught mainstream audiences to love indie rock or whatever. Braff’s directed lots of things since—2014’s “I Wish I Was Here,” lots of “Scrubs” episodes, 2017’s “Going In Style“—but it’s safe to say none of them captured the zeitgeist in the way “Garden State” did and maybe that’s just a one-time lightning in a bottle event.

Continue reading ‘A Good Person’ Trailer: Zack Braff’s Latest Directorial Drama About Grief & Healing Stars Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman at The Playlist.

Producer/creator David Weil (the writer behind the controversial “Hunters”) returns to Amazon Prime with this week’s “Solos,” a pandemic production filmed in late 2020 that wastes so much talent that it can be almost hard to comprehend how this many award winners fell victim to its thin ideas and manipulative melodrama. They must have been sick. At the beginning of the pandemic, a clip of celebrities singing “Imagine” was widely criticized for feeling like a tone-deaf representation of where the world was at the time.

Continue reading ‘Solos’: A Corny, Pandemic-Influenced Melodrama That Feels Like Tone-Deaf Celebrities Singing “Imagine” [Review] at The Playlist.

Amazon’s new anthology series, “Solos,” is simple in that it explores human connection. “A lot of the inspiration for [it] came from things I’m not allowed to do as a writer,” creator David Weil (“Hunters“) told EW recently. “In film and television, you’re really not allowed to have a 30-minute monologue, though I would love to in every episode of something I write.”

READ MORE: Summer TV Preview: Over 40 Series To Watch

But perhaps the biggest draw is the cast.

Continue reading ‘Solos’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens & More Star In Amazon’s New “Human Connection” Anthology Series at The Playlist.

When we talk about technology and inventions, a lot of times, people think of some sort of product on “Shark Tank.” But as seen in the new film, “Percy vs. Goliath,” intellectual property created in a lab also falls under that umbrella of inventions and technology.

READ MORE: ‘Things Heard & Seen’ Trailer: Amanda Seyfriend Moves Into A Haunted Farmhouse In This New Netflix Thriller

“Percy vs.

Continue reading ‘Percy Vs. Goliath’ Trailer: Christopher Walken & Christina Ricci Take On A Farming Corporation In This New Drama at The Playlist.

For an actor-turned-director, you can’t have a much better debut behind the camera than Zach Braff enjoyed with his 2004 film “Garden State.” Many people loved that film and lauded its writing (and soundtrack). But Braff has yet to fully capitalize on that popularity with his follow-up features, as both 2014’s “Wish I Was Here” and 2017’s “Going in Style” didn’t necessarily light up the box office or earn rave reviews.

Continue reading ‘A Good Person’: Florence Pugh & Morgan Freeman To Star In Zach Braff’s Next Directorial Outing at The Playlist.

Robert De Niro, bless his soul, he’s a national treasure and his career go something like this: De Niro does occasional prestige projects with people like Martin Scorsese and then most of the other time these days, he does movies like “Last Vegas” where he teams with other veterans/old-timer actors like Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas in broad comedies. That seems to be the gist of “The Comeback Trail,” a ‘70s filmmaking comedy about a scam artist film producer who falls in debt to the mob, and then to get out of hock, finances a badly written Western movie in the hopes of the production killing its aging star.

Continue reading ‘The Comeback Trail’ Trailer: Robert De Niro, Zach Braff Are ’70s Scam Film Producers Making A Film With Tommy Lee Jones at The Playlist.

Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm’s long awaited “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” blasted off with a world premiere at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Saturday night and left the passionate fans on hand left immensely satisfied.

The experience began – and Disney wonderfully made sure it was an experience –  with an incredible white carpet featuring a gigantic AT-AT Walker and rebel cannons blasting onlookers.  The premiere itself began with introductions of producers Kathleen Kennedy, Ram Bergman and legendary composer John Williams taking the stage.

Continue reading ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Premiere Launches With A Dedication ‘For Carrie’ at The Playlist.

While a movie starring James Franco just opened last week, given his tremendous pace, it’s not surprising there’s another around the corner. Only this time, it’s one of his directorial efforts, and “In Dubious Battle” sees the actor/filmmaker turning John Steinbeck‘s classic book into another middling effort.

READ MORE: ‘I am Michael’ Starring James Franco Is An Interesting Story, Uninterestingly Told [Review]

Calling on some big name pals like Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Sam Shepard, Zach Braff, and Josh Hutcherson, the movie follows farm workers who rise up against the increasingly intolerable conditions and wages in which they are forced to toil.

Continue reading It’s Time To Fight In New Trailer For James Franco’s ‘In Dubious Battle’ With Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, More at The Playlist.

Zach Braff has spent most of his filmmaking career being beaten up. Even though it was a Sundance Film Festival darling (and currently holds 86% on Rotten Tomoatoes, just fyi), “Garden State” has become an indie film joke, and the actor/director drew criticism when he launched a crowd-funding campaign for his far less well-received “Wish I Was Here.” But for his next movie, he’s doing something that’s perhaps a little less personal, but gives him a chance to exercise some new filmmaking muscles: directing a remake of the 1979 heist movie “Going In Style.” And the first trailer is here.

Continue reading First Trailer For Zach Braff’s ‘Going In Style’ Starring Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, And Alan Arkin at The Playlist.

Fending off multiple networks who wanted the show for themselves, ABC has ordered a pilot for the new series “Start Up,” bringing “Scrubs” star Zach Braff back to the small screen. He’ll be directing the pilot and starring in the series, that reunites him with “Scrubs” co-executive producer Matt Tarses.

READ MORE: Zach Braff To Direct Black List Comedy ‘Bump’

Based on the podcast of the same name by Alex Blumberg, “Start Up” will revolve around a man in his mid-30’s who quits his successful job to start his own business.

Continue reading ‘Scrubs’ Star Zach Braff Returns To TV With ‘Start Up’ at The Playlist.

Certain pockets of the internet have a deep well of antipathy toward Zach Braff that I don’t quite understand. Sure, his crowdfunding campaign for “Wish I Was Here” was misguided at best, but no one was forced to hand over their money. And while some might say his particular strain of indie filmmaking is detestable, I’d argue that every year at Sundance, there are countless worse films unveiled with aesthetics no different than those of “Garden State.” At any rate, if you’re not invested in Zach Braff, nothing much will change that — but then, he’s too busy to really care what anybody else thinks, as he lines up his next project.

Continue reading Zach Braff To Direct Black List Comedy ‘Bump’ at The Playlist.

Listen: Zach Braff Reflects On Kickstarter Campaign For 'Wish I Was Here' In 85-Minute Talk

Continue reading Listen: Zach Braff Reflects On Kickstarter Campaign For ‘Wish I Was Here’ In 85-Minute Talk at The Playlist.

Review: 'The Color Of Time' Starring James Franco & Mila Kunis Is An Experiment That Falls Short

Continue reading Review: ‘The Color Of Time’ Starring James Franco & Mila Kunis Is An Experiment That Falls Short at The Playlist.

GQ Names Zach Braff, Johnny Depp, Shia LaBeouf, & Woody Allen Among The Least Influential People Of 2014

Continue reading GQ Names Zach Braff, Johnny Depp, Shia LaBeouf, & Woody Allen Among The Least Influential People Of 2014 at The Playlist.

Directors: Zach Braff Is 'Going In Style,' Daniel Espinosa Chasing The Boston Marathon & More

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Zach Braff “Shocked” By "Unfair And Unfounded" Kickstarter Campaign Backlash

Continue reading Zach Braff “Shocked” By “Unfair And Unfounded” Kickstarter Campaign Backlash at The Playlist.

Review: Zach Braff's Uneven But Sincere 'Wish I Was Here' Co-starring Kate Hudson, Josh Gad And More

Continue reading Review: Zach Braff’s Uneven But Sincere ‘Wish I Was Here’ Co-starring Kate Hudson, Josh Gad And More at The Playlist.

Watch: Pop Up Trivia Trailer For Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here'

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Watch: Have An Epiphany With 3 Clips From Zach Braff's 'Wish I Was Here'

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Watch: New Trailer For Zach Braff's Kickstarter Funded 'Wish I Was Here' Floors It

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Watch: First Trailer For Zach Braff's Kickstarter Funded 'Wish I Was Here' Features The Shins, Obviously

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25 Movies That Defined The Sundance Film Festival

Continue reading 25 Movies That Defined The Sundance Film Festival at The Playlist.

Sundance Review: Zach Braff's Kickstarter-Funded 'Wish I Was Here'

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