Reviews Archives - The Playlist

‘Painting With John’: John Lurie Offers A Soulful, Deep, Pained & Absurdist Portrait Of An Artist & A Strange Life [Review]

January 22, 2021 3:47 pm

On an economic storytelling level, HBO’s terrific and delightful new documentary series, “Painting With John,” begins with a brilliantly simple and effective little riff. Starring renaissance man John Lurie—a ...

‘Malcolm & Marie:’ Zendaya And John David Washington Make For A Bad Romance That Grows Tedious [Review]

Robert Daniels

January 22, 2021 10:45 am

Features, News, Reviews

“No one fucking cares about that sh*t, Malcolm!” shouts an exasperated Marie (Zendaya). Malcolm (John David Washington) worships the classic filmmakers—a love externalized by way of the vintage title credits t...

‘Ham On Rye’ Is A Wonderfully Weird, Surreal Coming-Of-Age Satire [Review]

Jessica Kiang

January 20, 2021 1:21 pm

News, Reviews

In the beginning, and just for a little while, Tyler Taormina's "Ham on Rye" seems like every other no-budget suburban coming-of-ager you've ever seen, if maybe better shot. Carson Lund's superb cinematography...

‘Acasa, My Home’ Is A Powerful Exploration Of Bureaucracy And Life In The City [Review]

Asher Luberto

January 16, 2021 1:50 pm

News, Reviews

The Romanian documentary "Acasa, My Home" explores life outside the margins of society. The idea of living off the grid, raising kids, hunting and fishing and swimming and camping might be escapist, but it's s...

‘Snowpiercer’ Season 2: Sean Bean Gives The Train Some Direction, But The Series Still Isn’t On Track [Review]

Brian Tallerico

January 16, 2021 11:35 am

Features, News, Reviews, Television

The second season of TNT’s “Snowpiercer” improves on the lackluster first year by giving the show a much-needed antagonist and opening it up in terms of world-building and depth of character. Having said that,...

‘Locked Down’ Is Like A Pandemic Birthday Do-Over From Doug Liman We Should Pretend Never Happened [Review]

Rodrigo Perez

January 15, 2021 4:50 pm

News, Reviews

One of the first novel concepts introduced in Doug Liman’s tossed-off, super slight, and interminably paced “Locked Down” pandemic-set heist/relationship movie that tells you a little bit about the central cou...

‘Outside The Wire’: Nothing Can Save This Unoriginal Netflix Misfire [Review]

Brian Farvour

January 15, 2021 2:24 pm

News, Reviews

In Netflix’s newest sci-fi romp, "Outside The Wire," something of a mismatched buddy film meets generic genre actioner, a rookie infantryman is paired up with a pearls-of-wisdom-dropping, veteran cyborg-y andr...

‘WandaVision’ Teases Trauma & Grief While Playing With The Fantasy Of Sitcom Tropes [Review]

Rodrigo Perez

January 14, 2021 12:00 pm

Features, News, Reviews, Television, Trailers

Grief and trauma are often so unbearable, so emotionally devastating, to survive, sometimes one has to escape reality and transform life into a… stylized situation comedy coping mechanism. That appears to be...

‘Servant’ Season 2: Apple TV+ Thriller Returns With A Fury [Review]

Cory Woodroof

January 13, 2021 11:05 am

News, Reviews, Television

Do you remember the story of Joshua from the Bible? The one where the Israelites, led by Joshua en route to Canaan, march around the city of Jericho for seven days until its grand walls collapse? It's a story ...

‘The Mauritanian’ Is A Harrowing Condemnation of Bush-Era Torture [Review]

Christian Gallichio

January 12, 2021 12:24 pm

News, Reviews

Featuring a standout, awards-worthy performance by Tahir Rahim, Kevin Macdonald’s “The Mauritanian,” adapted from Mohamedou Ould Salahi’s memoir “Guantanamo Diary,” about his prolonged imprisonment at the titu...

‘Dickinson’ Season 2 Throws History Out The Window But Stays True To The Poet’s Spirit [Review]

Andrew Crump

January 8, 2021 11:00 am

News, Reviews, Television

The second season of Alena Smith’s “Dickinson” begins with a warning and provocation. “The records of Emily Dickinson’s life, up to and including Sue and Austin’s marriage, are full and factual compared with w...

‘Search Party’ Season 4: The Searcher Goes Missing As The HBO Max Series Really Finds Itself [Review]

Brian Tallerico

January 7, 2021 2:58 pm

News, Reviews, Television

“Search Party” started as the story of a search for a missing girl who never really wanted to be found. Everything that’s happened since that series premiere has been a repercussion of a decision to look for s...

‘Pretend It’s A City’: Martin Scorsese’s Fran Lebowitz Docu-Series Is An Uproariously Funny Delight [Review]

Jason Bailey

January 6, 2021 10:16 am

News, Reviews, Television

The filmmaker's Netflix-funded follow-up to his 2010 documentary 'Public Speaking' is more of the same - and thank goodness for that.

‘Tiger’: HBO’s Initially-Riveting Tiger Woods Docuseries Never Quite Gets In The Hole [Review]

Robert Daniels

January 5, 2021 2:26 pm

News, Reviews, Television

On April 14, 2019, a wicked Chicago ice storm swept over the McCormick Convention Center greeting Jedis with their lightsabers, princesses in their cinnamon bun wigs, and Sith Lords, some with what sounded lik...

nicolas cage HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS (2021)

‘The History Of Swear Words’: Nicolas Cage Can’t Save This Fcking Terrible Shtshow [Review]

Charles Barfield

January 5, 2021 1:53 pm

News, Reviews, Television

When Netflix forked over however much money it cost to produce “The History of Swear Words,” the premise and pitch must have seemed like a no-brainer. Nicolas Cage hosting a docuseries about the history of nau...