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Kate Winslet Ready For 'Jobs' Biopic, Plus First Look At 'The Dressmaker'
11 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
It seems every piece of news touches upon Sony this week, and their former Steve Jobs biopic, now housed at Universal, continues to add to what is turning into a stellar cast for the Danny Boyle-directed, Aaron Sorkin-penned walk and talk, and talk and talk and talk. Variety reports that Kate Winslet is in negotiations to join Michael Fassbender (as Jobs) and Seth Rogen (as Steve Wozniak) in "Jobs." Other actors in play include Jeff Daniels circling the part of Apple president John Scully, with Michael Stuhlbarg signing up for the role of computer scientist Andy Hertzfeld, according to Deadline. As for Winslet? There's no word on what character she might play. Also on deck for the actress is the recently wrapped "The Dressmaker." Screen Daily has the first look (up top) at the comedy about "a glamorous woman with a penchant for haute couture who returns to »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Watch: The Curious Case Of Copyright And The Story Behind 'It's A Wonderful Life'
11 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
What's your Christmas movie tradition? Do you join Kevin McCallister in once again defending his house from bandits in "Home Alone"? Do you hang with John McClane as he walks across broken glass in "Die Hard"? Or do you cozy up to the heartwarming "It's A Wonderful Life"? If it's the latter, you'll want to check out this great video essay on the story behind the movie. The short version is basically this: Director Frank Capra produced the picture via his Liberty Films, and Rko distributed it, but it was a flop on release. Critics were lukewarm, audiences didn't really show up, and it wound up costing Rko over half-a-million in losses. Here's where things get interesting. Paramount snapped up the rights to the movie when they acquired Liberty in 1951, and not long after, it fell into the hands of National Television Associates. However, in 1974 the copyright lapsed due to a clerical error, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Watch: Is John Rocker The Real Kenny Powers? 20-Minute Vice Documentary Investigates
12 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
When John Rocker isn’t getting kicked off “Survivor” or being grilled by TMZ for a comment on U.S./Cuba relations, he lives a quiet life of signing autographs and being interviewed by Vice. The 20-minute documentary, “The Real Kenny Powers?,” explores the former Atlanta Braves relief pitcher’s influence on Kenny Powers in HBO's “Eastbound and Down.” In the doc, Rocker invited Vice out on the town in Cooperstown, N.Y., where he is every much the celebrity he was in his heyday. The film gives Rocker a fair shot, and is sympathetic to the controversial athlete. The doc notes that the Kenny Powers character grew out of Will Ferrell’s impersonation of Rocker on Saturday Night Live. Ferrell would go on to produce “Eastbound and Down,” giving rise to the belief that Powers is Rocker, albeit amped up a notch. Rocker acknowledges his influence on the character, »
- Joshua Encinias
Daily | Lists and Awards | Ballot Browsing
12 hours ago | Keyframe | See recent Keyframe news »
Nearly a month after Sight & Sound posted the bare-bones results of its poll of 112 international film critics, we can now browse the individual ballots, many of which come with a paragraph or two of commentary on the selections or, in some cases, the state of things in general. This is one sleek interactive machine of an infographic—have fun! Otherwise, today's crop of year-end lists brings quite a variety of #1's: Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice, Lav Diaz's Norte, the End of History, Ava DuVernay’s Selma, Andrey Zvyagintsev's Leviathan, Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, Tate Taylor's Get On Up, Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida and, of course, Richard Linklater's Boyhood. » - David Hudson »
Sony CEO Says No VOD Company Stepped Up To Distribute 'The Interview'
12 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
That didn't take long. Just a couple hours after President Obama weighed in on the ongoing Sony hacking scandal, the president of company, Michael Lynton, gave his version of what's happened, and it's worth paying attention. In all the coverage of "The Interview" being pulled from cinemas, it has been forgotten by many that it was the major cinema owners who first refused to carry the film in the wake of threats from hackers. "In this instance, the president, the press, and the public are mistaken on what actually happened,” CEO Michael Lynton told CNN. “We do not own movie theaters, we can not determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theaters." It's a good point, so too is the one that Sony is dealing with a situation that no one in their industry, and certainly no other corporation, has ever faced before. "We experienced the »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Review: ‘Into The Woods’ Starring Meryl Streep, Ana Kendrick, Emily Blunt & Johnny Depp
13 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
A grand, visually impressive adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s 1987 musical theater production, Disney's “Into The Woods” is at the outset enchanting, even entertaining. And if there were concerns that some of the darker, adult themes in the movie wouldn’t be addressed, well, this version is a lot more somber than you might imagine. But perhaps counter intuitively, this approach works to the detriment of the picture’s tenor, rhythm and initially vibrant energy: “Into The Woods” soon loses its spark in an enervating and overlong third act that winds up as a cul de sac to nowhere. Directed by Rob Marshall, ‘Woods’ certainly has its moments and a few enjoyable musical set-pieces, but that dour and drudging final section quickly saps the movie of its various charms. Mostly sticking to Sondheim’s basic plot faithfully —a mish mash of fairy tale tropes and Brothers Grimm stories— “Into The Woods” centers on a baker, »
- Rodrigo Perez
Watch: Trailer For 'Broken Horses' Starring Anton Yelchin, James Cameron Calls It An "Artistic Triumph"
13 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Out of the blue, Fox Star India just dropped the teaser for “Broken Horses,” and with it endorsements from James Cameron and Alfonso Cuarón. 62-year-old Indian filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra wrote, produced and directed the film starring an (almost) exclusively Anglo- and American- cast (Vincent D'Onofrio, Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette, Maria Velverde, Sean Patrick Flanery and Thomas Jane) in his first Hollywood directorial feature after decades of working within the Hindi film world. While the teaser has breakneck pacing, we’re not talking Transformers-level editing. Every clip escalates with action without failing to tease its characters but not giving away too much about the plot. So far, we know that it’s about two brothers getting in trouble/causing trouble on the Mexico border. The Times of India described a film “(about a) relationship between two brothers —a concert-level violinist and a hired mercenary— and is set against the drug war in the. »
- Joshua Encinias
Watch: David Fincher Talks His Films & Career In 25-Minute 'A Life In Pictures'
14 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
This past fall, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts interviewed David Fincher around the time “Gone Girl” hit theaters for "A Life In Pictures" event, and today you can watch the full interview on their site. In the interview, Fincher delves into his highs and lows and his early ambitions. “I was one of those kids who was really committed to being on sets and watching how shit went down,” said Fincher. “I watched talented people who I liked and admired get kind of spun, and I vowed never to let that happen. I was like, ‘I want to know what every motherfucker in the room does.’” Fincher recounted directing a commercial American Cancer Society and being “sodomized” for two years while making “Alien 3.” “I made a crucial error. I listened to the people who were paying for the movie, and they said not to work with your friends, »
- Joshua Encinias
President Obama Says Sony "Made A Mistake" In Pulling 'The Interview'
14 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
We're pretty sure that by this point Sony wishes 2014 would just end already. The massive hack by North Korea last month of the studio's computer network has compromised everything from medical records to internal emails. That was followed by threats from the hacker group known as Guardians Of Peace to cancel the theatrical release of "The Interview" or face consequences comparable to the 9/11 attacks. And so that's what the studio did, though to be fair, exhibitors across the country forced its hand when thet refused to book the film, likely fearing liability if devastating actions occurred. As of 2:20pm Est, President Barack Obama has weighed in on the matter. Earlier today, the FBI confirmed that North Korea was behind the attack on Sony, and at his last press conference of the year, the President shared his feelings on the matter. “Sony is a corporation. It suffered significant damage, [and] there were threats against some employees. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Interview: ‘Inherent Vice’ Actresses Katherine Waterston, Hong Chau, Joanna Newsom & Sasha Pieterse Talk Stress & Thrills Of The Film
15 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Hopefully over this past weekend, if you lived in New York and Los Angeles or trekked to one of the fourteen advance screenings across the U.S., Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice” finally unfurled its hypnotic charms after a run-up of various festival dates. A wide release in the New Year awaits those who didn’t see it, so some behind-the-scenes accounts will have to do. Last week, we spoke to Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin about their experiences on Anderson’s latest film, and this week the ladies of “Inherent Vice” take the floor. Katherine Waterston, Joanna Newsom, Hong Chau and Sasha Pieterse each approached the project from diverse showbiz routes —theatre, network TV, music— and memorably make their marks early on in 'Vice.' As Shasha, Doc Sportello’s quixotic ex-gal who reappears with a case on her mind, Waterson commands a unforgettable breakout role; Newsom —the immensely talented harpist, »
- Charlie Schmidlin
Watch: New Full Length, U.S. Trailer For Horror Sensation 'It Follows'
16 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
After two great international teaser trailers for France and the U.K., "It Follows" is now ready to come stateside, bringing the biggest promo yet. The first full length U.S. trailer for the horror sensation is here, so strap in for what promises to be one of the most unique genre offerings of 2015. Directed by David Robert Mitchell and led by Maika Monroe, the film turns the innocence of dating and young love on its head. After an amorous night, a woman discovers she's been infected with a sexually transmitted haunting, one that finds her being chased by phantoms only she can see. And the only cure is to pass it on the same way she got it. We've said enough, so just watch below. "It Follows" arrives this March, and will screen at the Sundance Film Festival. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Watch: Kevin Hart Prepares Will Ferrell For Jail Time In The First Trailer For ‘Get Hard’
16 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Will Ferrell has basically made movies out of any number of thin sketches of ideas he’s ever had. What about the prospect of being sentenced to a term at a maximum-security jail where you know you’re toast once you’re inside? Yep, that too! The idea is a nightmare for many, and Ferrell is tackling that concept head on, alongside other notions of race and class, with “Get Hard.” The comedy, directed by Etan Cohen (the screenwriter of “Men In Black 3” and “Tropic Thunder,” making his directorial debut here) is about a Bernie Madoff figure played by Ferrell. He’s nailed for fraud and about to be sent up the river, so in a panic he tries to hire the first African-American he meets with the misguided assumption they’ll know how to “get hard” for prison time. But the first African-American man he meets, played by Kevin Hart, »
- Edward Davis
Borscht Short Film: Sea Devil, Directed by Dean C. Marcial and Brett Potter
16 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
As Borscht 9 — Miami’s delirious cinematic fete comprising afternoons spent in the middle of the ocean, machete fencing and bike rides to the multiverse — hits its midpoint, Borscht Corporation releases to Filmmaker one of its recent short films, Sea Devil. Sea Devil, directed by by Dean C. Marcial and Brett Potter of Calavera Films, was screened in work-in-progress form at Borscht 8 and now it’s having its online premiere here on the site. Winner of the Bronze Audience Award at Fantasia 2014, Sea Devil is the story of a fisherman smuggling Cuban immigrants into Miami, a mysterious stranger […] »
- Scott Macaulay
'Ida,' 'Force Majeure,' 'Leviathan' Make Foreign Oscar Shortlist, 'Two Days, One Night,' 'Mommy' Snubbed
16 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Was 2014 a good year for foreign films, or do Oscar voters have no concept of what a good movie might be even if one walked up and kicked them in the groin? Perhaps a little of both. The Foreign Language category tends to be somewhat controversial in terms of what films make the final cut and which movies are left to the side. But in choosing from a category that has dozens of submissions from around the world, this branch of the Academy's job is arguably more difficult than the the one supervising the Best Picture category, which also has the luxury of nominating ten choices. So undoubtedly some beloved films were going to miss out this year. The official shortlist for Oscar Foreign Language film has been revealed, and there are some very high profile snubs, including the Dardennes' "Two Days, One Night," and Cannes winners like Xavier Dolan »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Listen: 100 Minutes Of Interviews With Paul Thomas Anderson About 'Inherent Vice'
16 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
"If your characters are stoned, your camera should be sober," Paul Thomas Anderson tells Studio 360, and its just one of the many zen-like pearls of wisdom the director offers up in his interview about "Inherent Vice." With his Thomas Pynchon adaptation now between limited release and wide(r) release next month, a batch of new talks have arrived that are worth a listen, if only to hear Anderson take complete ownership of the material. “It was a feeling that I don’t want anybody to do this other than me,” he said of tackling the novel. “Even if somebody’s going to blow it, I want to be the one to blow it.” By most accounts he hasn't blown it all, but instead captured the freewheeling detective story while also putting his own stamp on it. And while some have suggested the loopy movie is a bit hard to follow, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Daily | Lists and Awards 2014 | Index
16 hours ago | Keyframe | See recent Keyframe news »
The best-of-2014 lists and year-end awards keep tumbling out into the world and it's getting a little difficult to keep track of them all. So we've put together an index, easy on the eye but loaded with linkage. Richard Linklater's Boyhood is the clear critical favorite so far, but might the Academy lean more toward the actorly showmanship of Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman? We'll be updating the index all the way through Oscar Night, February 22, 2015. » - David Hudson »
Trailer Watch: Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
16 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
Here’s the first trailer for the Zellner Brothers’ wonderfully idiosyncratic Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter. The one minute snippet goes a little out of its way to not reveal the narrative catalyst, conjuring a vague aura of suspense, though the film itself is far from your average adventure drama. Breaking your heart with a nearly silent performance, Rinko Kikuchi stars as the titular character who fleas her banal Tokyo confines in search of snowbound, stateside treasure. Amplify will release the film on March 13. »
- Sarah Salovaara
“Scary and Sad and Difficult and Funny and Erotic and Exciting”: Angus MacLachlan on Goodbye to All That
16 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
Goodbye to All That‘s protagonist Otto Wall is a limited man — the type of man who just goes along with the flow, who doesn’t try to ruffle feathers. He’s not stupid, but neither is he gifted with remarkable intelligence. He has a good job, an attractive if possibly overbearing wife (Melanie Lynskey) and an adorable, auburn-haired daughter who is quickly turning into a North Carolina Methodist. He’s lucky, at least until he isn’t. Played with gentle moxie by Paul Schneider, in his most memorable motion picture role since Dick Liddil in The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert […] »
- Brandon Harris
Christopher Coppola: Three Rings Isn’t Enough
17 hours ago | Keyframe | See recent Keyframe news »
A larger-than-life figure and a veritable force of nature, Christopher Coppola takes pleasure in repeating Philip Kaufman’s greeting when the venerable San Francisco director saw him on the street in North Beach: “There goes the pirate of the Coppola family.” Christopher Coppola isn’t the type to stand in anyone else’s shadow, although he’s had to get used to being identified as Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew, Sofia Coppola and Roman Coppola’s cousin and Nicolas Cage’s brother. He’s a filmmaker, above all, with several iconoclastic features to his credit and a spate of projects with titles like Sacred Blood and Biker MacBeth on various burners. An impassioned champion of digital technology and arts education, among his multitude of interests, Coppola also chairs the film department at the San Francisco Art Institute and sits on the California Arts Council. We conversed over the din in »
Hackers Now Reportedly Say Sony Can Release 'The Interview,' But With Changes
17 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
There was a much simpler, more innocent time a couple of months ago when "The Interview" was just another enjoyably dumb comedy coming down the line from Seth Rogen and James Franco. Now, it's at the center of a national security maelstrom, media frenzy, and ongoing discussion about how the entertainment industry should handle threats to their art and product, with George Clooney the highest profile name to publicly put his opinion out there. And now, things have taken another twist. USA Today reports that the hacker group known as Guardians Of Peace issued a message last night, stating that "The Interview" could be released...but only if changes were made. Here is the anonymously posted message: This is Gop. You have suffered through enough threats. We lift the ban. The Interview may release now. But be carful. September 11 may happen again if you don't comply with the rules. Rule »
- Kevin Jagernauth
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