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Review: Masterful & Sublime Cannes Palme d'Or Winner ‘Blue Is The Warmest Color’
2 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Why do we watch movies? No, really, why is it? As close an answer as we’ve ever come to for our own, fairly evident obsession with what we consider the greatest storytelling medium humankind has ever developed, is well, that life is short. Bear with us a second on this: basically to submerge yourself in a story well-told is a way to live out other lives within your own, and through those complex and magical processes of identification, to breathe and dream and feel things that your own short span might otherwise never afford you. Of course for many movies, that experience, of killing a mutant robot or whatever, may have evaporated before you’ve picked the last of the popcorn husks from between your teeth. But occasionally, very rarely, we experience the cinema not of escape but of exploration in which the discoveries you make stay with you »
- Jessica Kiang
Review: 'Spinning Plates' Serves Up Three Dishes On The Changing Face Of Dining Out
3 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
What it means to dine out has changed profoundly over the last few decades. This week The New York Times reported on the closure ofHilltop Steak House, a western-themed restaurant just outside of Boston, which had been open since 1961. It perfectly reflects the sort of post-war ideal of what the restaurant was at the time, a roadside destination, offering big servings of hearty food that people recognized. If you wanted a big sirloin steak, this place offered it and then some. But in an era of organic, artisinal, tasting menus, farm-to-table, rustic and other adjectives which describe the micro-genres of eating options available to the casual diner, something like Hilltop Steak House is positively antiquated. Restaurants these days seem to have to mean something more than just the food they're serving, and in Joseph Levy's "Spinning Plates," he serves up a trio of stories that illustrate the varied face of eating out. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Oscars: Which Films Will Pick Up Original & Adapted Screenplay Nominations?
4 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Twilight Zone. As long as almost anyone can recall, the Adapted Screenplay category has been more far more competitive than the original script slot. In general, more Academy-friendly films tend to have been adapted from novels, non-fiction books, plays, articles, or from other material, with the competition for original fare proving thinner. As a result, the Original Screenplay category has quietly been one of our favorites, allowing foreign-language films, tiny indies or genre fare to pick up nominations where they'd otherwise have difficulty. But here in 2013, we're suddenly through the looking glass, because for once, the screenplay Oscar races are weighted the other way. It's not that the Adapted category is thin -- there'll be a fairly tough fight to the five nominations -- it's that there are more viable Original screenplays than in any year we can remember since the 1970s. So for all the naysaying about Hollywood, »
- Oliver Lyttelton
IFC Center Will Admit High Schoolers to Nc-17 Rated 'Blue is the Warmest Color'
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Abdellatif Kechiche's racy Palme d'Or winner "Blue is the Warmest Color" is, unsurprisingly, rated Nc-17 for its frank (and lengthy) depictions of lesbian sex between a teenager (Adle Exarchopoulos) and her older lover (Lea Seydoux), but that won't stop New York's IFC Center from admitting teenagers under 17 wanting to watch the film. How is that possible? The rating, like every one granted by the Motion Picture Associated of America, is merely a recommendation to theater managers -- the MPAA is a trade association representing the major studios, not a government agency -- and John Vanco, senior vice president and general manager of the IFC Center, has simply chosen to ignore it. Read More: 'Blue is the Warmest Color' Filmmaker Pens Enraged Open Letter; Slams 'Spoiled,' 'Opportunistic' Star Lea Seydoux In an emailed statement to The New York Times, Vanco wrote, "This is not a movie for young children, »
- Nigel M Smith
Strand Releasing Acquires 'Schooled: The Price of College Sports'
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Strand Releasing has just landed the rights to "Schooled: The Price of College Sports." Directed by Andrew Muscato, the documentary takes a look at the business, history and culture of football and baseball in America. Through interviews and archival footage, it presents a comprehensive look at how college sports became a billion dollar industry, and the toll it takes on the athletes themselves. Strand previous released the sports documentaries "Ballplayer: Pelotero" and "Branca's Pitch," the latter of which Muscato also directed. "We're thrilled to be working with Andrew and the team on another great documentary about America's fascination with sports," said Strand's Jon Gerrans. Strand plans to release "Schooled: The Price of College Sports" on home video and digital platforms on November 19. »
- Clint Holloway
15 Weird & Disturbing Sex Scenes That Have Scarred Your Memory
5 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Let’s get this out of the way, right off the bat: there will be mild spoilers here—but these spoilers have already been posted online and not by us. Got that? I mean, we all read the Internetz, so… Anyhow,Ridley Scott’s “The Counselor” opens in theaters this weekend. Written by venerable American author Cormac McCarthy, “The Counselor” stars Michael Fassbender, Penlope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt as its principal cast. The picture is a morality drama about a greedy lawyer (Fassbender), who finds himself in over his head when he decides to delve into the dark world of drug trafficking. Shit backfires and things go way south for said attorney. Before the film plumbs these sordid depths, however, there is a scene in the movie that has everyone talking. So much so that embargo be damned, people have felt compelled to discuss it. It's »
- The Playlist Staff
Indie Film History in Infographic Form: Plus Marlon Brando and More From Fandor
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Fandor, the on-demand film site that launched in 2011, recently announced three high profile films hitting the site in November, "An Oversimplification of Her Beauty," (Nov. 1) "Meet Marlon Brando" (Nov. 15) and "Leviathan." (Nov. 19) Notably, this will mark the first time "Meet Marlon Brando," the documentary by Albert Maysles and David Maysles, will be available since its 1965 theatrical release. To cement their reputation as a site for indie film fans, Fandor has created this snazzy infographic which tracks the history of independent film over 100 years. Check it out below: »
- Paula Bernstein
Watch: '12 Years A Slave' Featurette Offers Look at Steve McQueen's Vision
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Currently in limited release, "12 Years A Slave" has generated rapturous acclaim and awards buzz since it premiered on the festival circuit right before Labor Day. While it seems impossible for the film to drum up anymore attention or excitement, Fox Searchlight has just unveiled a new featurette that takes a look at the auteur behind the film, Steve McQueen. Making his third foray into feature filmmaking following "Hunger" and "Shame," the British visual artist adapts the distinctly American memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in 1840's Saratoga who is unexpectedly tricked into becoming a slave. The four-minute clip gives insight into McQueen's inspiration behind the film as well as input from the cast and crew, who prove unanimously reverent to the director and bringing his vision to life. "12 Years A Slave" is currently in limited release and will expand on Friday. »
- Clint Holloway
Watch: First Five Minutes of 'Just Like A Woman,' Starring Sienna Miller
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Indiewire has just obtained an exclusive clip of the first five minutes of "Just Like A Woman," which is now available on DVD and iTunes. The film, released by Cohen Media Group, stars Sienna Miller as Marilyn, a Chicago woman who has just lost her secretarial job and is saddled with a cheating husband, her hobby of belly dancing proving to be her only source of satisfaction. Teaming up her friend Mona (Golshifteh Farahani), a North African immigrant who also needs an escape, the duo decide to hit the road to attend a New Mexico belly dancing competition for a journey of discovery and renewal amidst the landscape of the Southwest. "Just Like A Woman" was directed by Rachid Bouchareb, whose 2006 film "Days of Glory" garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Watch the first five minutes of the film below: »
- Clint Holloway
Tom Hardy Will Play Elton John In Biopic 'Rocketman'
5 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
This project has taken a while to find the right notes (sorry). Brewing since at least 2011, it seems that finding the right person tackle the personality, sequins and sunglasses of Elton John has been the struggle to get this thing going.At one point,Justin Timberlakewas eyed as a possibility, but that didn't seem right at all. Then this past spring, "Rocketman" was floated Tom Hardy's way by producers who thought he would be a good fit. We think he is a good fit too, and better yet, so does he. Hardy is now confirmed for the lead role in the biopic, whileFocus Featureshas landed the U.S. distribution rights for the flick as well (so any worries that it would become a soulless, genre label can rest easy for now). The project very much involvesJohn himself, who worked on the script withLee Hall, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Bastards — A Hammer To Nail Review
6 hours ago | Filmmaker Magazine - Blog | See recent Filmmaker Magazine news »
(Bastards is being released theatrically on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 and on iTunes and VOD two days later, through Sundance Selects. It world premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.) Arguably the most muscular of contemporary cineastes, Claire Denis engineers some of the richest filmic experiences that viewers can treat themselves to — or punish themselves with. Denis’ work contains soothing and unsettling multitudes, but for the sake of making heads or tails of her latest feature, Bastards, let’s posit that throughout her career she has generally alternated between two modes: one is mellow, sensual, drift-like and attuned to the […] »
- Dan Sullivan
Rooney Mara Out, Saoirse Ronan In For 'Brooklyn'; John Crowley To Direct
6 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
The last thing we heard about the big screen adaptation ofColm Toibin's "Brooklyn" was well over a year ago. At that time Rooney Mara was going to play the lead in the Nick Hornby-penned flick, with a shoot planned for spring 2013. Clearly, that didn't happen. But the project is still alive with a new lead and a new director. With the Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall starring thriller "Closed Circuit" now opening in the U.K., director John Crowley chatted with Bleeding Cool and revealed that not only is he helmig "Brooklyn," it has a fresh face to star. "I’m gonna make a film called Brooklyn which is an adaptation of a novel byColm Tibn which Nick Hornby has adapted. We’re going to do it next year," he said. "That’s a story about emigration from Ireland to America in the fifties. A young woman, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
Watch: Aziz Ansari Explains Why Marriage is Crazy in a Clip From His Upcoming Netflix Special 'Buried Alive'
6 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Netflix managed to garner a few Emmy nominations in its first year producing original series, and the company's announced its intentions to commission its own films as well. But the streaming giant has also been getting into the comedy biz, adding exclusive standup specials from John Hodgman, Russell Peters and Marc Maron. Netflix's latest and most high-profile special comes from "Parks and Recreation" star Aziz Ansari -- "Buried Alive,"which was filmed live at the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia, "Buried Alive" is Ansari's third stand-up special, recording during his 2013 worldwide tour, and it finds the actor and comedian taking on issues likeadulthood, babies, relationships and marriage, which he addresses in the clip below. Directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern of "Shut Up and Play the Hits,""Aziz Ansari: Buried Alive" will premiere on Netflix onFriday, November 1st at 12:01 Am Pt. »
- Alison Willmore
Another Movie Version Of 'Little Women' In The Works; 'Spectacular Now' Writers Say ‘Me Before You’
7 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
How many times do people like hearing the story of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women"? A lot apparently. Though there have already been five movie adaptations (okay, one of those is silent; but still), it looks like a new generation will get to experience the life and loves of sistersMeg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Sony has tapped Olivia Milch to write the adaptation, and while she's not a name we've heard of, a random commenter noted in our On The Rise: 10 Screenwriters To Watch In 2013 featurethat, "She's going to be big these next two years." So yes, we're paying attention. No word yet if this will stick to the book or try something new, but considering that the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon and Christian Bale did decent at the box office and turned out three Oscar nominations, something tells us they won't rock the boat. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
PBS Announces a Premiere Date For the New Season of Benedict Cumberbatch's 'Sherlock'
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
PBS has just unveiled its slate of programming for the Winter/Spring 2014 season, and with it a U.S. premiere date for the highly anticipated third season of "Sherlock," Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss'hit contemporary adaptation ofArthur Conan Doyle's work, starringBenedict Cumberbatch as legendary detective Sherlock Holmes andMartin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. "Sherlock" season three, which will consist of three installments, will premiereon PBS on January 19th at 10pm, following after "Downtown Abbey," which will begin airing its fourth season on January 5. “It’s clear that our 2012-2013 season was a real turning point for PBS, with ‘Downton Abbey’ on Masterpiece growing in popularity and a rise in overall general viewership ranking PBS among the top 10 U.S. networks,” says Beth Hoppe,Chief Programming Executive and General Manager for General Audience Programming, PBS. “With our winter and spring schedule, we continue to enhance our already. »
- Clint Holloway
Watch The Last 10 Years of Best Supporting Actress Oscar Speeches, Ranked In Order of Enjoyability
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Every few weeks during awards season -- to fill in those long gaps between actual developments -- we figured we'd wet your Oscars-appetite by taking a look back at the acceptance speeches of yore. Or, in this case, the past 10 years (is that yore, yet?). Starting off with best supporting actress, here's a ranking of a decade of speeches in order of "enjoyability" (which doesn't necessarily mean they're good speeches, see #3), with embedded clips for your time-wasting pleasure. And feel free to let us know your own thoughts on the speeches in the comments, since it's a pretty subjective system... 1. Penelope Cruz winning for "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" in 2009. There is so much to love about this clip. First, there's the five previous winners -- Eva Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Goldie Hawn, Anjelica Huston and Tilda Swinton -- coming on stage to fete all five nominees, which is awe-inspiring and gives »
- Peter Knegt
Watch: U.K. Trailer For Oscar Contending WWII Drama 'The Book Thief' Starring Geoffrey Rush
7 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Oscar contender? Yes—at least Fox hopes so. While you might not have been hearing much about "The Book Thief," that's probably about to change. As Deadline points out, it's not every day that a studio pays for two full, nearly blank pages in The New York Times, but they did just that, with little more than the URLwordsarelife.comappearing, directing the curious to the official website of the movie. With the wheels on the awards season campaign starting to turn, a new U.K. trailer has arrived. Based on the celebrated,best-selling novelbyMarcus Zusak, the film starsGeoffrey Rush, Emily Watsonand“Monsieur Lazhar” youngsterSophie Nelissein the tale ofa young girl, living outside Munich during WWII with her foster parents, who has to help hide a Jewish refugee in their home. And it's the power of words that bonds them all through this difficult time, »
- Kevin Jagernauth
'Blue is the Warmest Color' Filmmaker Pens Enraged Open Letter; Slams 'Spoiled,' 'Opportunistic' Star Lea Seydoux
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
With the Palme d'Or-winning epic lesbian drama "Blue is the Warmest Color" opening in theaters stateside this Friday, director Abdellatif Kechiche has hit the web, penning an enraged open letter (titled "To Those Who Sought to Destroy 'Blue is the Warmest Color'") at website Rue89, slamming his outspoken star La Seydoux as well as critics who have taken issue with the three-hour film. The letter comes at the tail end of a press tour that kicked off in the U.S. with Kechiche's stars Seydoux and newcomer Adle Exarchopoulos telling The Daily Beast that they'd never work with the filmmaker again, and Seydoux saying she felt "trapped" on set and that she didn't feel respected while shooting the film's racy sex scenes. What's followed since has threatened to overshadow their collective achievement. To recap: Kechiche confronted the two at an La press conference that ended in tears; later »
- Nigel M Smith
Watch: 2 Clips Plus New Images From 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom'
8 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
With little in the way of critical buzz to build on, "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" serves up a bit of a marketing conundrum for The Weinstein Company. So far,it seems they've decided to solve that problem with U2 songs and numerous clips,and today comes more scenes and images from the movie. If you're worrying about the spoilers (though we're not sure this is the kind of movie that can be "spoiled") or the whole movie being given away first, just remember that this flick is over two-and-a-half-hours long, so there's plenty more where these came from. Anyway, below you'll see Idris Elba in the lead role, playing Nelson Mandela quite well as he struggles to secure equals rights for blacks in Apartheid divided South Africa. Our only issue thus far? The old age makeup looks...not good... "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" opens on November 29th. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
'Blue Is The Warmest Color' Director Threatens To Take Lea Seydoux To Court, Calls Her A "Spoiled Child"
8 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Here's a piece of advice for Abdellatif Kechiche: let it go. While he was certainly right to defend himself after accusations first surfaced from his "Blue Is The Warmest Color" stars Lea Seydouxand (to a much lesser degree) Adele Exarchopoulos, in the weeks since, it seems to be mostly his voice we've been hearing. From declaring the movie shouldn't be released to changing his mindand entertaining the notions of a sequel, Kechiche hasn't seen a press opportunity he couldn't seize upon. He's now unloaded his biggest statement yet. In a long, sometimes rambling, kind of paranoid open letter to Rue89 (translated by THR), he has taken considerable space—when not griping about the French film industry and vast press conspiracy to take him down (really)—to dig into Seydoux. Calling her an“arrogant, spoiled child,” he continues to be hurt and vexed by the actress's about face »
- Kevin Jagernauth
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