It's been awhile since we've seen a worthwhile Halloween-themed horror movie come down the pike (actually about six years, when Michael Dougherty's solid anthology flick "Trick 'r Treat" was released), but if this new trailer for "Hellions" is any indication, we may finally have another on our hands. Starring Canadian actor Chloe Rose ("Degrassi") as a pregnant teenager beset by malicious (seemingly supernatural) trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, "Hellions" was directed by Bruce McDonald, who helmed the smart, fascinating (if not entirely successful) 2008 "zombie" film "Pontypool." Reviews out of Sundance were mixed, with Indiewire's Drew Taylor panning the film for being "far less cool, smart, and scary than it thinks it is" while Shock Till You Drop's Samuel Zimmerman praised it as "enchanting" and "visually stunning," "a mad Halloween movie." Related: This is the scariest trailer I've seen in a long time So which will it be? It's a good,...
- 8/19/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Welcome to Outrage Watch, HitFix's (almost) daily rundown of entertainment-related kerfuffles. Not anxious enough already? Get your fix of righteous indignation below, and stay posted for outrage updates throughout the week. Shocking news: Seth MacFarlane's "Ted 2" is taking fire from a not-insignificant number of critics who have taken issue with the film's gleefully un-p.C. humor. The charges: sexism, homophobia, transphobia and racism. But especially racism. The comedy sequel, out in theaters today, revolves around the foul-mouthed teddy's quest to be deemed a person in a court of law -- a struggle that in the film draws parallels with the plight of black slaves. It's a point that MacFarlane makes explicit, as in the following scene described (and subsequently criticized) by New York Times movie critic Manohla Dargis: "Mr. MacFarlane aligns Ted’s struggle with enslaved black Americans so that, while watching a scene in “Roots” in which Kunta Kinte is whipped,...
- 6/26/2015
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
Answering a classified ad is a bit like playing Russian roulette. Whether or not you get a totally normal person or screwball weirdo is completely left to chance. In the upcoming "Creep," everything kicks off when these innocent words in an ad get answered: “$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated.” Read More: Review: Scary Good Mark Duplass Midnight Movie 'Creep' Directed by Patrick Brice, who also co-leads the film with Mark Duplass, the story follows Aaron, who answers Josef's aforementioned ad. Josef says he's dying from brain cancer and that he's hired Aaron to make a video diary for his unborn son. It's an earnest plea, but as their day of shooting goes on, it becomes clear that things are not what they seem. Catching the movie at SXSW last year, our own Drew Taylor wrote in his review that it's "a funny/sad horror comedy...
- 6/5/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Not that this should really come as much of a surprise, but the first reactions to Avengers: Age of Ultron have surfaced tonight and as expected, they’re extremely positive. The consensus seems to be that while there’s a lot going on in the film, and a ton of characters to keep track of, director Joss Whedon seems to have pulled it all off.
Check out some of the Tweets below to see what critics are saying about the highly-anticipated sequel:
Just saw Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Soooooooo many characters and soooooo much going on, I can’t believe it’s coherent, let alone so fun.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
And out of all the Age Of Ultron chaos, somehow Hawkeye gets the best role in the movie. And the best line of the movie, maybe the series.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
One more: Spader’s Ultron so much...
Check out some of the Tweets below to see what critics are saying about the highly-anticipated sequel:
Just saw Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Soooooooo many characters and soooooo much going on, I can’t believe it’s coherent, let alone so fun.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
And out of all the Age Of Ultron chaos, somehow Hawkeye gets the best role in the movie. And the best line of the movie, maybe the series.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
One more: Spader’s Ultron so much...
- 4/10/2015
- by Matt Joseph
- We Got This Covered
While the film won’t make its debut until May 1 (in the United States), some critics in Los Angeles recently had Avengers: Age of Ultron screened for them and they shared their quick thoughts via Twitter and so far the response is very positive.
Mike Ryan, Uproxx
Just saw Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Soooooooo many characters and soooooo much going on, I can’t believe it’s coherent, let alone so fun.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
And out of all the Age Of Ultron chaos, somehow Hawkeye gets the best role in the movie. And the best line of the movie, maybe the series.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
One more: Spader’s Ultron so much more snarky than I thought he would be. So, yeah, he’s basically James Spader. — Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
Drew Taylor, The Playlist
#AvengersAgeOfUltron is darker, weirder and more emotional than the original. It’s...
Mike Ryan, Uproxx
Just saw Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Soooooooo many characters and soooooo much going on, I can’t believe it’s coherent, let alone so fun.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
And out of all the Age Of Ultron chaos, somehow Hawkeye gets the best role in the movie. And the best line of the movie, maybe the series.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
One more: Spader’s Ultron so much more snarky than I thought he would be. So, yeah, he’s basically James Spader. — Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 10, 2015
Drew Taylor, The Playlist
#AvengersAgeOfUltron is darker, weirder and more emotional than the original. It’s...
- 4/10/2015
- by Zach Dennis
- SoundOnSight
The queso and BBQ gorging are done, and so it's a wrap on the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, which featured a mix of mainstream releases, smaller indie narratives, documentaries and music-based films, among many others. Our two correspondents Charlie Schmidlin and Drew Taylor have comprised their best-of highlights from the festival. The Audience Award winners are here, and the regular award winners decided by the SXSW Jury are listed here. See you in 2016! Charlie Schmidlin Experiencing amazing Alamo Drafthouse bumpers, built-up queues for events and anything but vegetables as a culinary option, my first time at SXSW was the best kind of ordeal. The fest was staffed by a charming, friendly staff and volunteers who organized the programming down to a science —I don’t think I attended one delayed screening the entire time. I can’t wait to go back next year —maybe after a salad first. 1. “Krisha” A wall...
- 3/23/2015
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
There are a lot of very strong opinions flying around about Neill Blomkamp's "Chappie," but I have to agree with our own Drew Taylor who said "there is a lot to appreciate and even love" about the movie. Yes, it's flawed, but it's also surprisingly moving and undoubtedly original. However, for those less enamored with the film, it's nothing more than an expensive, more violent take on "Short Circuit." And so, they'll probably enjoy this mashup. Yep, the music and dialogue from "Chappie" has been cut with "Short Circuit" in this rewired take on both movies. Certainly, I haven't seen "Short Circuit" since I was a kid so I completely forgot that the military plays a big part of the movie. But in terms of functional design, Chappie has Johnny Five beat. Check it out below. [Live For Films]...
- 3/5/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
We may be accused of suffering from apophenia, but we observed a lot of trends at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. What do trends at film festivals mean? Well, considering films aren’t made by some committee of filmmakers disparately selected to appear at the festival, trends can mean nothing and they can mean a lot. Observing the zeitgeist, some trends are worth watching to see if they crest, and some, of course, are just random coincidence. Between Katie Walsh, Rodrigo Perez and contributors Drew Taylor, Oli Lyttelton, Kevin Jagernauth, Nik Grozdanovic, Kate Erbland and Jenni Miller, we saw over 50 films at the Sundance Film Festival collectively (all of our 2015 Sundance Film Festival coverage is here). So patterns emerge and perhaps abnormal meaningfulness is found. You be the judge. Here are some of the trends we spotted at the 2015 festival. The Rise Of The Black Nerd Here’s an interesting little...
- 2/2/2015
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
Any chance that new sci-fi thriller “Project Almanac” has of a strong opening during Super Bowl weekend looks to be in jeopardy.
The Michael Bay-produced film already faced stiff competition with Bradley Cooper‘s “American Sniper,” but now it is garnering mostly mixed reviews from critics, and currently sits at an underwhelming 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also Read: 19 Biggest Box-Office Bombs and Bummers in 2014: From ‘The Giver’ to ‘Winter’s Tale’ (Photos)
The story centers around a group of friends who discover the secret to time travel. However, things quickly spiral out of control when the ripple effects...
The Michael Bay-produced film already faced stiff competition with Bradley Cooper‘s “American Sniper,” but now it is garnering mostly mixed reviews from critics, and currently sits at an underwhelming 32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also Read: 19 Biggest Box-Office Bombs and Bummers in 2014: From ‘The Giver’ to ‘Winter’s Tale’ (Photos)
The story centers around a group of friends who discover the secret to time travel. However, things quickly spiral out of control when the ripple effects...
- 1/30/2015
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
In the latest clip from "Kingsman: The Secret Service," Colin Firth's Harry Hart gives his young charge Eggsy (Taron Egerton) the official tour of the secret spy gadget closet. As any stylish spy knows, it's important to wear a smart oxford or brogue, especially when there's a knife secreted away in the heel. Those umbrellas come in handy for more than just a quick downpour, of course. And then there are the guns. Lots of guns.
Matthew Vaughn's upcoming spy flick looks like lots of fun, and it's one of Moviefone's most anticipated films of 2015. As per Drew Taylor, "Kingsman" is "a brilliantly subversive take on the spy genre that also sets itself up to be the beginning of a compelling new franchise." It will also be cool to see Firth kick a little butt; the "King's Speech" star is not typically known for action, much less the comic book kind.
Matthew Vaughn's upcoming spy flick looks like lots of fun, and it's one of Moviefone's most anticipated films of 2015. As per Drew Taylor, "Kingsman" is "a brilliantly subversive take on the spy genre that also sets itself up to be the beginning of a compelling new franchise." It will also be cool to see Firth kick a little butt; the "King's Speech" star is not typically known for action, much less the comic book kind.
- 1/14/2015
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
It used to be if you wanted to change up your onscreen persona you went and did an indie, but these days action flicks seem to be the path to reinvention. Ryan Gosling went from heartthrob to badass in two films with Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive," "Only God Forgives"), Scarlett Johansson has kicked butt as Black Widow and "Lucy," and now Salma Hayek is picking up the gun in "Everly," and the first international trailer is here. There is not much plot you need to know about this one: Hayek plays a yakuza prostitute who has been working as an informer to the cops, and her employers aren't very happy about that. And so, wave after wave of bad guys are sent to take her out, but she won't go without a fight. Essentially, this is "The Raid: Hayek," at least from the trailer, while our own critic Drew Taylor...
- 12/29/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
. Reese Witherspoon has hit homeruns with her first two films as a producer: "Gone Girl" and "Wild." In Tatiana Siegel's must-read profile, she talks candidly about optioning the rights to both books before they were bestseller, why she had to play Cheryl Strayed in "Wild" and how she reacted when David Fincher told her she was not right for the role of Amy in "Gone Girl." THR -Break- Oscar experts: Eddie Redmayne narrows Michael Keaton lead, 'Selma' cracks top five Anthony D'Alessandro delivers a fascinating in-depth interview with Best Actor frontrunner Michael Keaton ("Birdman"). As he notes in the intro, "Keaton couches his trajectory, which picked up during the ’00s with supporting turns in 'The Other Guys' and the recent 'Robocop reboot,' simply as: 'I went through a lazy period. And (then) a hardworking, dedicated period.'” Deadline Drew Taylor t..."...
- 11/25/2014
- Gold Derby
We've nailed the doors and windows shut and searched the Playlist bunker for anything —axes, knives, chainsaws, our laptops— we can use as a weapon. Particularly this time of year, we're under constant threat of bad horror movies. This threat would be almost unbearable were it not for the occasional smart and artfully-made scary flicks that make it onto our screens and then our nightmares (check out the 25 Best Horror Films Of The 21st Century So Far). The invasion began a long time ago, so we've had plenty of time to prepare our best defense: another long-winded, erudite podcast in which we get real and figure out just what it is we're talking about when we talk about the horror genre as it stands right here and now. Host Erik McClanahan is joined by contributors Cory Everett and Drew Taylor, and we have many concerns. On this episode we discuss:...
- 10/30/2014
- by Erik McClanahan
- The Playlist
Sasha Stone rounds up several clips from much-anticipated films and Oscar contenders that will debut soon at the New York Film Festival. Get a first look now at Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman" (Michael Keaton and Emma Stone), David Fincher's "Gone Girl" (Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike), and Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" (Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin). This year's event takes place from September 26 through October 12. Awards Daily -Break- Join the lively film and TV discussions going on right now in the Gold Derby message boards Drew Taylor interviews actor James McAvoy about the Toronto premiere of his film "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby." McAvoy is coming off of another blockbuster sequel, "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and now plays a husband in a crumbling relationship with his wife (Jessica Chastain). He discusses how the film was originally conceived as two films ("..."...
- 9/11/2014
- Gold Derby
Ah, "American Horror Story: Freak Show." You really are going to be disgusting; at least if these brief teasers are any indications.
The latest teaser, after the claw-handed ditty from last week, features a man licking a lollipop. Okay, kind of weird you say. Maybe it's a fetish thing. But then you realize that the reason the man can lick the lollipop so vigorously is because he's got a forked tongue. You know, like a lizard. Say it with us now: ewwwww!
Besides the forked tongue freak show guy, this teaser is also notable for the first one to have the actual date of the premiere: Wednesday, October 8th. This is very good. October 8th isn't that far away.
"American Horror Story: Coven," last year's installment of the anthology series, is up for six Emmy awards tonight, including best mini-series and nominations for Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson (both of...
The latest teaser, after the claw-handed ditty from last week, features a man licking a lollipop. Okay, kind of weird you say. Maybe it's a fetish thing. But then you realize that the reason the man can lick the lollipop so vigorously is because he's got a forked tongue. You know, like a lizard. Say it with us now: ewwwww!
Besides the forked tongue freak show guy, this teaser is also notable for the first one to have the actual date of the premiere: Wednesday, October 8th. This is very good. October 8th isn't that far away.
"American Horror Story: Coven," last year's installment of the anthology series, is up for six Emmy awards tonight, including best mini-series and nominations for Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson (both of...
- 8/25/2014
- by Drew Taylor
- Moviefone
The rumors have already gone into overdrive. First they said the Hulk would return in a movie adaptation of "Planet Hulk". Undeterred, the rumor mongers then said "Planet Hulk" would become the Guardians Of The Galaxy sequel , with Mark Ruffalo sharing the screen with the likes of Chris Pratt and Groot. And now, with the film about to be released, director James Gunn can address the Hulk/Guardians rumor. And he says they're poppycock. Speaking to Drew Taylor at The Playlist, Gunn completely washes his hands of a Guardians Of The Galaxy sequel featuring the Hulk. "I can answer that question very easily: it is absolute, 100% bullshit. It feels like a great relief to finally say this after all the dumb stuff on the Internet. There's not going to be a Planet Hulk movie, there was never going to be a Planet Hulk movie, there was never a plan for...
- 7/21/2014
- cinemablend.com
Well, the critical verdict is in and it ain’t pretty, pardner. Our own Drew Taylor may have been even more scathing than many (his F grade review is here) but whatever debate there is around Seth McFarlane’s “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” which opens wide this weekend, seems mainly to be about arguing degree of badness; there are few really spirited defenses of the film as any actual good. In fact the one thing all reviewers appear to agree on is that ‘Million’ is no “Blazing Saddles.” Because Mel Brooks’ spoof does truly appear to be the sine qua non of comedy Westerns, the genre's "Citizen Kane," so to speak, so much so that almost everyone has namechecked it in talking about McFarlane’s folly, using it as a handy barometer by which to measure all of his film’s failings. Really, to read the current crop of commentary,...
- 5/29/2014
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
"Obvious Child" was one of the coolest movies at SXSW this year. Moviefone's Drew Taylor called it "one of the more unexpectedly moving experiences of the entire festival," and that's for real.
Jenny Slate stars as Donna, a comedian in Brooklyn with a slacker day job and a dismal love life. After a seriously brutal dumping, she hooks up with a straight-laced dude named Max (Jake Lacy) and has a one-night stand that leads to a very unromantic Valentine's Day trip to the women's clinic. Gaby Hoffman co-stars as her roommate Nellie, and Richard Kind and Polly Draper play Donna's divorced parents.
If you love Jenny Slate from her time on "Saturday Night Live," or the co-writer and voice of "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," or her hilarious appearances on "Parks and Rec" or "Kroll Show" ("pubLIZity"!), you'll be wonderfully surprised by her performance... and then love her even more!
Jenny Slate stars as Donna, a comedian in Brooklyn with a slacker day job and a dismal love life. After a seriously brutal dumping, she hooks up with a straight-laced dude named Max (Jake Lacy) and has a one-night stand that leads to a very unromantic Valentine's Day trip to the women's clinic. Gaby Hoffman co-stars as her roommate Nellie, and Richard Kind and Polly Draper play Donna's divorced parents.
If you love Jenny Slate from her time on "Saturday Night Live," or the co-writer and voice of "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," or her hilarious appearances on "Parks and Rec" or "Kroll Show" ("pubLIZity"!), you'll be wonderfully surprised by her performance... and then love her even more!
- 5/8/2014
- by Jenni Miller
- Moviefone
As we've said before, one of the real pleasures of attending film festivals doesn't have to do with seeing the starry, main attractions (that usually will end up at a multiplex near you anyway). Instead, it's uncovering hidden gems, and for those that made time at this year's SXSW for "Two Step," they certainly came away having experienced something special when the lights came up. Today, we have the exclusive first trailer to give you a sense of carefully calibrated Texas noir to keep on your radar. Directed by Alex R. Johnson and starring Beth Broderick, James Landry Hébert, Skyy Moore, Jason Douglas, Ashley Rae Spillers and more, the thriller follows James, a directionless college dropout, and Webb, a career criminal with his back against the wall, who cross paths with deadly consequences. And the results are impressive, with our own Drew Taylor praising the film in his review saying it's "deeply human,...
- 4/28/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The Playlist's Drew Taylor sat down with director John Butler and actors Hugh O'Conor and Peter McDonald to chat about their comedy film "The Bachelor Weekend." The talk is part of a series of Tribeca Film Festival conversations being hosted at the Apple store in SoHo. In the vein of "The Hangover" films, "The Bachelor Weekend" follows a group of not-made-for-the-wild men who take a trip to the Irish wilderness before their friend's wedding. In the clip below, Taylor asks the comedy team if they could impart any wisdom for aspiring filmmakers. Director Butler highlighted his lucky in finding producers who were willing to make their film. "As a first time filmmaker I just think that's exactly the support you need to find. And I think it's rare and under-appreciated in the business." Be sure to check back on iTunes shortly for the full podcast.
- 4/25/2014
- by Eric Eidelstein
- Indiewire
For fans, the MTV Movie Awards are always the most fun of the movie awards season because of how the show mashes up highbrow critics' picks and multiplex favorites, and this year was no exception. On Sunday night (April 13), big-time Oscar nominees like "Wolf of Wall Street," "12 Years a Slave," and "American Hustle" found themselves vying for the coveted Golden Popcorn along with blockbuster fare like "The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug" and "The ...
By Drew Taylor...
By Drew Taylor...
- 4/14/2014
- MTV Movie News
With the Best Hero category heroically moving into the awards show proper, it was time for a new category to fill the void in the social-media department. So this year, fans got to vote in the 2014 MTV Movie Awards' inaugural Best Character category. A host of memorable characters battled it out for user-supported supremacy, including Loki (from "Thor: The Dark World"), Katniss Everdeen ("The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"), Veronica Mars (from "Veronica Mars," duh), ...
By Drew Taylor...
By Drew Taylor...
- 4/14/2014
- MTV Movie News
"... we laughed until we ached. Then we laughed some more," Drew Taylor wrote in his review of "Neighbors" out of SXSW last month, and the buzz certainly is building about the summer comedy. Just a few days after a couple of red band trailers dropped for the movie, the first clip is here. As you know, Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne lead the movie as a young couple, with a baby, who move into a new neighborhood only to discover that right next door is a frat house. Soon enough, a war begins between the two. In this clip from MTV, we see the couple's attempts to reason with a school official (played by Lisa Kudrow) goes awry, and winds up with everyone trading headlines. It's amusing stuff, though obviously, raunchier material awaits in the film. "Neighbors" opens on May 9th. Watch below.
- 4/11/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
While Seth Rogen and Zac Efron are the two promoted stars of "Neighbors," and get the bulk of the screentime in this new, lengthy red band trailer for the comedy, by all accounts it's the perpetually underrated Rose Byrne who walks away with the biggest laughs. In our review of the movie out of SXSW, our own Drew Taylor noted, "she nearly steals the entire movie, and certainly gets the surprise comedy Mvp award." And it's good thing the rest of the movie looks like a lot of fun too. The premise of this one is pretty simple: a young family moves into their new home, only discover they've got a frat house as neighbors. And it isn't long before a war erupts between the two sides and all hell breaks loose. And it looks like it's really just an excuse for one antic fuelled adventure after another, and that's...
- 4/8/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
It is unclear what takes longer: for Johnny Depp to transform into the old man version of himself in "The Lone Ranger" (a feat that secured his makeup team an Oscar nomination) or for the average starlet to get ready for Sunday's (March 2) 2014 Academy Awards, which start at 8:30 p.m. Et. The pre-Oscar primping process has with actors preparing for their big moment before a worldwide audience. And thanks to the Tmi-infused magic ...
By Drew Taylor...
By Drew Taylor...
- 3/3/2014
- MTV Movie News
Over the weekend, there were a whole host of lavish parties and smaller awards ceremonies, which allowed for almost all of the nominated stars and creatives to strut their stuff one last time before the big Oscars show. But you didn't have to be a nominee to get in on the action, which is why Taylor Swift made a new friend on Saturday night. She wasn't the only one. With the Independent Spirit Awards on ...
By Drew Taylor...
By Drew Taylor...
- 3/2/2014
- MTV Movie News
While this weekend's biggest awards show is obviously the Oscars, there's another award ceremony that is often just as contentious (and usually way more fun): the Razzies, which have "honored," for the past 34 years, the very worst cinema has to offer. Amazingly, Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups 2" didn't take home the top prize. Instead, that honor went to "Movie 43," a movie that was a collection of astoundingly unfunny sketches featuring some surprisingly huge ...
By Drew Taylor...
By Drew Taylor...
- 3/2/2014
- MTV Movie News
[Press Release] Hollywood, Calif. – Called “hilarious” (A.O. Scott, New York Times), “fall-down funny” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone) and just plain “awesome” (Claudia Puig, USA Today), “the funniest movie of the year” (Drew Taylor, AOL Moviefone) makes its highly-anticipated home entertainment debut when Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues arrives April 1, 2014 on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and VOD from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Fans can be the first to own either the Theatrical Version or the Unrated Version when they arrive on Digital on March 11. The Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Blu-ray Combo Pack includes Three versions of the film—the original Theatrical Version, the Unrated Version and, in a home entertainment first, the Super-Sized R-Rated Version with 763 new jokes...
- 2/24/2014
- by Pietro Filipponi
- The Daily BLAM!
Star-studded movie about the search for art stolen by Hitler's Nazis is dubbed a museum piece by reviewers
• Watch George Clooney in the trailer for the second world war drama
It is the hunt for priceless Nazi treasure that seems to have turned up worthless hokum: George Clooney's star-studded second world war caper, The Monuments Men, has been getting a panning from the critics.
Featuring Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett and John Goodman, the humorous tale focuses on a real-life group of men and women who risked their lives to track down art stolen by Adolf Hitler and prevent its destruction. As well as co-writing and directing – his fifth stint behind the camera – Clooney portrays Frank Stokes, based on the Us army officer and leading art conservationist, George Stout, who repatriated tens of thousands of pieces of art from the Nazis.
The film had been...
• Watch George Clooney in the trailer for the second world war drama
It is the hunt for priceless Nazi treasure that seems to have turned up worthless hokum: George Clooney's star-studded second world war caper, The Monuments Men, has been getting a panning from the critics.
Featuring Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Jean Dujardin, Cate Blanchett and John Goodman, the humorous tale focuses on a real-life group of men and women who risked their lives to track down art stolen by Adolf Hitler and prevent its destruction. As well as co-writing and directing – his fifth stint behind the camera – Clooney portrays Frank Stokes, based on the Us army officer and leading art conservationist, George Stout, who repatriated tens of thousands of pieces of art from the Nazis.
The film had been...
- 1/30/2014
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
"Not only is this the best film [at the Busan International Film Festival], this is the best film of the year," Quentin Tarantino declared last fall, and just like that, the profile of Israeli thriller "Big Bad Wolves" got raised immediately. The best part, is that the film deserves the praise. Our own Drew Taylor called the movie "bold, beautifully told, and surprisingly funny" in his review from the Tribeca Film Festival, and now we've got a lengthy clip from the movie so you get a sense of what impressed both Tarantino and our own staff. Directed by Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, the revenge thriller follows detective Miki (Lior Ashkenazi) who stops at nothing in chasing down Dror (Rotem Keinan), a suspected child killer. But there's one other person in the mix, the mysterious Gidi (Tzahi Grad), who also wants to get his hands on the killer. And in this exclusive clip, we watch Gidi...
- 1/17/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
While we’re mostly celebratory around these parts, a considerable aspect of our year-end cinematic reflections has been dredging up those unspeakable films long since forgotten for one final verdict—think “Violet and Daisy,” “I Give It A Year," or “The Big Wedding." We compiled our 20 favorite abominations here, but elsewhere head film critic of Paper Magazine Dennis Dermody has aimed for more awards-centric fare with his list, and ended up with director Steve McQueen’s work in his sights. Following a list of 2013’s best offerings that included “Inside Llewyn Davis," “Blue Jasmine," and “Spring Breakers," Dermody then shared up his rundown of the ten worst. And right at the top? “12 Years A Slave," with the critic calling the film “well-acted, well-made, and virtually critic-proof. It's also torture to sit through. Slavery was horrendous. You think?“ Now, a negative opinion on McQueen’s film is nothing new, and even...
- 12/18/2013
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
"Not only is this the best film in Busan, this is the best film of the year," Quentin Tarantino announced during a post Q&A screening of "Big Bad Wolves" at the Busan International Film Festival. The Israeli thriller with fairy tale corollaries would fit Tarantino's unique taste as the trailer seems to balance brutal violence with smart and funny dialogue. Centering on a series of horrific murders which puts the lives of three men on a collision course, Drew Taylor of The Playlist described directing and writing duo Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado's technique as "beautifully, weaving dark humor and philosophical and political unrest." "Big Bad Wolves" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and will open nationally January 17, 2014 via Magnet Releasing. Watch the trailer below:...
- 12/10/2013
- by James Hiler
- Indiewire
Young children don’t pay much attention to critics’ reviews, but you can bet their parents do — especially when there’s a good chance they’re going to be dragged to the cinema by the tots during Thanksgiving weekend. Not only do the adults want to research the potential movie of the week to see if it’s age-appropriate, but they also want to prepare themselves mentally for what might be 90 minutes of mindless dreck.
Relax, moms and dads. Disney’s Frozen, fortunately, looks to be one of those treats that the whole family can enjoy. Not only are there...
Relax, moms and dads. Disney’s Frozen, fortunately, looks to be one of those treats that the whole family can enjoy. Not only are there...
- 11/27/2013
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
After our own Drew Taylor declared "Frozen" to be a new Disney classic, perhaps you won't be too surprised to learn that it has been submitted and accepted as a finalist for Best Animated Feature Film. But don't get fooled. The only criteria for the 19 movies that made the cut seems to be that they meet the eligibility requirements so flops like "Free Birds" along with critical punching bags like "Planes" and "The Smurfs 2" get the same consideration as Hayao Mizayaki's "The Wind Rises." Anyway, see the full list below. [Deadline] Beverly Hills, CA — Nineteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®. The 19 submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are: “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” “The Croods” “Despicable Me 2” “Epic” “Ernest and Celestine” “The Fake” “Free Birds“ “Frozen” “Khumba” “The Legend of Sarila” “A Letter to Momo...
- 11/5/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival has released an incredible guest list of celebrated talent from around the globe. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Catherine Breillat, Nicole Garcia, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Tavernier, Steve McQueen, Godfrey Reggio, Denis Villeneuve, Bill Condon, Jean-Marc Vallée, John Wells, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Atom Egoyan, Matthew Weiner, John Carney, Jason Reitman, Jason Bateman, Yorgos Servetas, Liza Johnson, Megan Griffiths, Fernando Eimbcke, Alexey Uchitel, Johnny Ma, Biyi Bandele, Rashid Masharawi, Paul Haggis, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Álex de la Iglesia, Bruce McDonald, Jennifer Baichwal, John Ridley, and Justin Chadwick.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
- 8/21/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Festival organisers announced the Discovery, Mavericks and Masters sections, details of the David Cronenberg: Transformation exhibition, a tenth Midnight Madness entry and introduced the Glenn Gould Studio to the festival’s stable of venues.
The programming strands feature new work from Catherine Breillat and on-stage conversations with Spike Jones, Irrfan Khan, Harvey Weinstein and Ron Howard.
The final entry in Midnight Madness will be the world premiere of Alex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching (Las brujas De Zugarramurdi) (Spain-France).
The Glenn Gould Studio will serve as a venue for various public and industry programming during the festival and will function as a main location for the Tiff Industry Conference, set to run from Sept 6-12.
Programming will include the industry conference keynote session, Master Class, Moguls, Mavericks, Telefilm Canada Pitch This! on Sept 9 and the Doc Conference from Sept 10-11.
“As the jewel of the Canadian Broadcast Centre, Glenn Gould Studio...
The programming strands feature new work from Catherine Breillat and on-stage conversations with Spike Jones, Irrfan Khan, Harvey Weinstein and Ron Howard.
The final entry in Midnight Madness will be the world premiere of Alex de la Iglesia’s Witching & Bitching (Las brujas De Zugarramurdi) (Spain-France).
The Glenn Gould Studio will serve as a venue for various public and industry programming during the festival and will function as a main location for the Tiff Industry Conference, set to run from Sept 6-12.
Programming will include the industry conference keynote session, Master Class, Moguls, Mavericks, Telefilm Canada Pitch This! on Sept 9 and the Doc Conference from Sept 10-11.
“As the jewel of the Canadian Broadcast Centre, Glenn Gould Studio...
- 8/20/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The last few years have been a dark time for Pixar. Their once untouchable reputation—"Toy Story 3" was both a Best Picture nominee and a billion-dollar grosser—has taken increasing knocks over the last few years, with an original film that (unfairly, we'd suggest) got middling reviews, and a pair of sequels that few asked for, and that not many more thought were deserving of the studio's creative legacy. As such, eyes were turned on the D23 expo today, when the studio were unveiling their slate for the next three years. Our Disney correspondent Drew Taylor is on the floor, and you can expect to hear more on his impressions of what was shown and how it went down very soon, but first the newsy bits, as the studio unveiled the voice casts for 2014's "The Good Dinosaur," 2015's "Inside Out" and 2016's "Finding Dory." "The Good Dinosaur"—helmed...
- 8/9/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
There are cinematic treasures to be found everywhere, and one movie that struck us last year was first discovered tucked away at the Hamptons International Film Festival. "Sparrows Dance" captivated our own Drew Taylor, who not only called it "deeply affecting, smartly acted and thoroughly charming" in his A-grade review, but named it as his Best Movie That Hasn't Been Picked Up Yet in his 2012 year-end recap. Well, the film now has a home with Tribeca Film and you can soon check it out in the comfort of your own home. Below you'll find the exclusive trailer for "Sparrows Dance," the latest from writer/director Noah Buschel, and it nicely conveys the unique, small scale story it tells so well. The film centers on a former actress (played by Marin Ireland), who finds herself confined to her apartment, crippled by fear of the outside world. She ekes out a living...
- 8/6/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
This weekend's box office offers up nothing if not variety. With horror, action, and animation hitting theaters, the obvious question is: How will you decide what to spend your money on?
Lucky for you, this is where Moviefone comes in.
Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman, and our writer Drew Taylor joined HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss whether "Turbo," "Red 2," and "The Conjuring" are worth venturing beyond your air-conditioned living room.
Lucky for you, this is where Moviefone comes in.
Mr. Moviefone himself, Russ Leatherman, and our writer Drew Taylor joined HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss whether "Turbo," "Red 2," and "The Conjuring" are worth venturing beyond your air-conditioned living room.
- 7/19/2013
- by Dana Taddeo
- Moviefone
The choice of what movie to see this weekend may be easy for some people: If you like tongue-in-cheek, low-brow comedy then "Grown Ups 2" is for you. If big action is your thing, go see "Pacific Rim."
But, for moviegoers who are indifferent to either genre and just want to be entertained, Moviefone is giving you the lowdown on which new flick is worth your time.
Mr. Moviefone, along with Moviefone writer Drew Taylor, sat down with HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss this weekend's big releases, as well as the smaller, Steve Carrell-starring movie "The Way, Way Back."
Check out this week's Moviefone Live above!
But, for moviegoers who are indifferent to either genre and just want to be entertained, Moviefone is giving you the lowdown on which new flick is worth your time.
Mr. Moviefone, along with Moviefone writer Drew Taylor, sat down with HuffPost Live host Jacob Soboroff to discuss this weekend's big releases, as well as the smaller, Steve Carrell-starring movie "The Way, Way Back."
Check out this week's Moviefone Live above!
- 7/12/2013
- by Dana Taddeo
- Moviefone
The pull quotes for this one aren't particularly good. "Intoxicating. Shocking." - Drew Taylor, The Playlist/IndieWire. "Seductive. Monstrous." - Drew Tinnin, Dread Central. Four words that basically mean nothing plastered onto the cover of a film that amounts to basically nothing. What are we trying to say about Girls Against Boys? Is it intoxicating because there’s alcohol involved? Seductive because Lu, the ginger, prances around in her underwear and plays Single White Female with our lead? Did the “Drews” see the same movie I did?
Read more...
Read more...
- 3/18/2013
- by Robert Ottone
- JustPressPlay.net
It’s release date time with three new releases to add to the 2013 slate and one for 2014. IFC Films is getting its summer lineup in order and Columbia is setting a date for fall 2014.First up, IFC Films has given Franck Khalfoun's “Maniac” a limited theatrical bow and VOD debut set for June 21st. A remake of the 1980 William Lustig–directed original, this version follows Frank (Elijah Wood) as a mannequin store owner who stalks and kills women in a desolate L.A. (rather than the original New York) with the shots mostly from Frank’s Pov. “Peeping Tom” meets “Mannequin” for the dystopian set, we feel like voyeurs just writing about it. As Drew Taylor wrote in our review, “It'll get your blood pumping, before it starts spilling down your forehead.”Next up is Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium”; IFC will release the vampire thriller on June 28th. A...
- 3/13/2013
- by Diana Drumm
- The Playlist
The buzz out of Austin this afternoon is Danny Boyle's SXSW Film Festival talk with the New York Times' David Carr (more on that later). The filmmaker unveiled some footage of his new mindbending heist film (which we've seen mind you, and it's very good), "Trance," starring James McAvoy and Rosario Dawson, discussed his filmmaking career and his ongoing musical collaboration with Underworld's Rick Smith. Much more exciting however, is our interview with Boyle this afternoon. Drew Taylor spoke to the director in Austin and all the projects the filmmaker has brewing are quite tantalizing. The first bit? Boyle's mooted sequel to "Trainspotting," the adaptation of author Irvine Welsh's own sequel, "Porno," is back on. Boyle told The Playlist he hopes to make the film in 2016 and thinks he can get the entire original cast, including Ewan McGregor, back on board. Boyle said he's very optimistic on...
- 3/10/2013
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Noomi Rapace star of the original Prometheus confessed in an interview with The Playlists Drew Taylor that script work has already begun for the sequel. Ridley Scott is in and so is Rapace provided the storyline for a second Alien prequel is up to snuff. Since Damon Lindelof screenwriter for the first one has decided not to devote time to another one this is a big question mark that could blow the whole endeavor.
- 3/1/2013
- Best-Horror-Movies.com
By Drew Taylor
By and large, Sunday's Oscar telecast was amiable, inoffensive entertainment and not, like last year, a flaming heap of twisted Wtf. Seth McFarlane proved to be a toothy, totally game host, and there were enough oddball surprises both in terms of the winners (say what, two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz?) and what appeared on stage (First Lady Michelle Obama, you looked lovely).
Still, like every telecast, it felt like there were a few missed opportunities that could have been exploited for maximum entertainment value.
A Rodriguez Performance
When the creators of "Searching for Sugar Man," the winner of the Best Documentary Feature award, said that its subject, the unfairly marginalized soul singer Rodriguez, wasn't interested in being the center of attention, it was easy to understand. In the documentary, which is totally ace by the way, he comes off as an almost painfully shy performer, wary...
By and large, Sunday's Oscar telecast was amiable, inoffensive entertainment and not, like last year, a flaming heap of twisted Wtf. Seth McFarlane proved to be a toothy, totally game host, and there were enough oddball surprises both in terms of the winners (say what, two-time Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz?) and what appeared on stage (First Lady Michelle Obama, you looked lovely).
Still, like every telecast, it felt like there were a few missed opportunities that could have been exploited for maximum entertainment value.
A Rodriguez Performance
When the creators of "Searching for Sugar Man," the winner of the Best Documentary Feature award, said that its subject, the unfairly marginalized soul singer Rodriguez, wasn't interested in being the center of attention, it was easy to understand. In the documentary, which is totally ace by the way, he comes off as an almost painfully shy performer, wary...
- 2/25/2013
- by MTV Movies Team
- MTV Movies Blog
An early favorite for worst movie of 2013? Try "Movie 43," which is apparently so bad that it makes "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" seem good less terrible by comparison.
The star-studded comedy, which wasn't screened in advance for critics, owns a 5 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviewers hammering the film for its across-the-board failures. It's probably not a coincidence the "Movie 43" stars -- Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Sudeikis, Chloe Moretz, Anna Faris, Terrence Howard and even Seth MacFarlane -- weren't made available for press interviews; as The New York Post posited, the comedy is one "that Hollywood’s A-list wants to forget."
Not you, though -- especially if you're a connoisseur of bad reviews. Ahead, the 11 nastiest critical burns written about "Movie 43."
1. "The main problem with 'Movie 43,' aside from its complete lack of wit and nuance,...
The star-studded comedy, which wasn't screened in advance for critics, owns a 5 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviewers hammering the film for its across-the-board failures. It's probably not a coincidence the "Movie 43" stars -- Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Sudeikis, Chloe Moretz, Anna Faris, Terrence Howard and even Seth MacFarlane -- weren't made available for press interviews; as The New York Post posited, the comedy is one "that Hollywood’s A-list wants to forget."
Not you, though -- especially if you're a connoisseur of bad reviews. Ahead, the 11 nastiest critical burns written about "Movie 43."
1. "The main problem with 'Movie 43,' aside from its complete lack of wit and nuance,...
- 1/26/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
One movie that's showing up on a handful of top ten lists for 2012 -- including our own Drew Taylor -- is the time-bending "Looper." Indeed, in our review of the film we called it Rian Johnson's finest achievement yet. And with the movie arriving on home video this week, there is even more to dig into, including some stuff that didn't make it into the final cut. A deleted scene from the movie has surfaced giving us a bit more of the always excellent Garret Dillahunt. Needless to say, if you haven't seen the movie, you probably should stop reading and just watch the movie already. But for those of you who have, you know that Dillahunt plays one of the gat men, tasked with finding the runaway Looper who may be hiding out on Emily Blunt's farm. It's a moment from a longer sequence when Dillahunt searches the house,...
- 1/2/2013
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
So far....Ok, first off, sorry to disappoint you if you thought this was going to be one big master list from all of our contributors. One thing is clear: getting a consensus out of the entire The Playlist is impossible and man, even if we put it to a vote (which we've done in the past), the results are generally dissatisfying and as you know, consensus tends to get a little dull. So instead, this will be our one-stop shopping for all our Best of 2012 year-end lists (and all our Best of 2012 content). So far we have four fairly distinctly different top 10 lists and they're only going to get more and more different from these two (at least we suspect as much). Here's the top 10s we have so far. Bookmark this page for more lists that will be added soon. Happy New Year and thanks for reading in...
- 1/1/2013
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
As you can likely tell, we've been in the presence of Peter Jackson a lot lately as the New Zealand director has spent plenty of time in New York of late. Last week, Drew Taylor spent time with Jackson and "The Hobbit" cast at 'The Unexpected Journey' press day -- Jackson defended the controversies surrounding 48fps and explained why he expanded the films into three movies -- and Kimber Myers attended attended a screening of the film that included a post-screening Q&A featuring the director and his co-screenwriters, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. At the end of that conversation -- wherein Jackson called 48fps and 3D a "gift" to his style of filmmaking and revealed that Walsh directed what he described as "the best scene" in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" -- the trio launched into a long story about almost losing "The Lord of the Rings...
- 12/9/2012
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Fifteen years ago, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, old friends as you may have heard, co-wrote and co-starred in "Good Will Hunting," a drama that earned them an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Fifteen years later, Affleck is on the verge of receiving an Oscar nomination for directing "Argo," a career shift that pal Damon said happened out of necessity.
"He was forced into [directing], really, because he was in actor jail and couldn't get a job that he wanted," Damon told Drew Taylor of The Playlist in a new interview. "So that really limited his options five years ago, so that's why he started with 'Gone Baby Gone.' Once he had done that movie and it was received really well, he still wasn't getting acting jobs. So he rewrote 'The Town' and was like, 'Well, I'll direct it and be in it!' With 'Argo...
"He was forced into [directing], really, because he was in actor jail and couldn't get a job that he wanted," Damon told Drew Taylor of The Playlist in a new interview. "So that really limited his options five years ago, so that's why he started with 'Gone Baby Gone.' Once he had done that movie and it was received really well, he still wasn't getting acting jobs. So he rewrote 'The Town' and was like, 'Well, I'll direct it and be in it!' With 'Argo...
- 12/6/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
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