Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

This week’s new release slate is a feast for 4K buyers, featuring recent favorites, all-time classics, and one of the great monster movies of the ’80s.

Continue reading The Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Kimi,’ ‘Spencer,’ ‘Looper,’ & More at The Playlist.

While 2020 kept so many families painfully apart, three acclaimed indies from last year made the opposite case: “Why do I see these people again?”

LISTEN: ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ At 20: Heralding An Unmatched Trilogy’s Journey There And Back Again [Be Reel Podcast]

Playing a little 2021 catch-up, Be Reel drops by to visit “Spencer” (2021), “Shiva Baby” (2021), and “The Humans” (2021), exploring how families—be they English royalty or middle-class Americans—banter, bristle, covet nostalgia, push buttons, and flirt with genuine horror.

Continue reading The Nightmare Family Function Movies Of 2021 [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.

The New York Film Critics Circle anointed “Drive My Car” as the Best Film of 2021 and now the West Coast critics have had their say. After almost six hours of overall deliberations, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association also selected “Drive My Car” as their Best Film of the year with “The Power of the Dog” as runner-up. “Drive’s” Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe also won Best Screenplay.

Continue reading LA Film Critics Select ‘Drive My Car’ As Best Film Of 2021 at The Playlist.

“The movies are back, baby!” went the refrain this summer, up to, during, and continuously after the heavenly 10-day stretch around June where everything looked like it might really go back to normal, actual normal and not “new” normal; “new” normal is in no way preferable to “normal” normal, just like “new recipe” Butterfingers are trash compared to the genuine article. Be that as it may, enough folks insisted on the pandemic’s subsiding that the movies did indeed come back, and they brought with them another detail missing and longed-for in the sacred big-screen experience: Soundtracks.

Continue reading The Best Scores & Soundtracks of 2021 at The Playlist.

We celebrate the movies at this time of year, and in the wild rush to praise directors and actors for all that nifty directing and acting they did over the last 365 days, we all tend to forget that cinema is about more than just two sets of people. Just read Twitter. Who’s naming anyone other than auteurs and stars? How many times has Steven Spielberg’s name come up? How many times has Janusz Kamiński’s?

Continue reading The Best Cinematography Of 2021 at The Playlist.

We certainly have not resumed full normalcy as we continue to battle this pandemic, but at least we have movies—even more than last year. With certain reservations about how they were premiered, released, and distributed, this year in film brought back more festival favorites like Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” more massive franchise golden geese like Cary Joji Fukunaga’s “No Time to Die,” more awards-friendly fare that had been held over, like Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.

Continue reading The 25 Best Films Of 2021 at The Playlist.

Do you hear that? Can you feel it underneath your seat? 2021 finally gave us the chance to return to cinemas, that rare gift where a handful of carefully curated trailers whets our appetites for the year ahead—without having to desperately refresh browser windows with a looming sense of dread with no end in sight. 

READ MORE: The Best Film Posters Of 2021

That’s not to say we’re completely out of the woods, but it’s certainly offered a new sense of gratitude for the very best trailers of the year as we’ve been able to appreciate them the way they should be: big, loud, full of hope and optimism for the wondrous selection of movies this year and the next will have to offer us—wherever we watch them. 

“Licorice Pizza”
The first glimpse of Paul Thomas Anderson’s blissful valentine to the San Fernando Valley was teased in a small handful of cinemas around the world, building anticipation and then crashing into focus all at once—as the revered filmmaker has always done with his work.

Continue reading The Best Movie Trailers Of 2021 at The Playlist.

Spotting and scrutinizing movie posters this year has felt brand new – like seeing the world with fresh eyes as we rush back into cinemas and can once again place faith in the pictures we see, knowing we will, finally, slowly, be able to bookmark these promises with a trip to the cinemas once more. That’s not to say we’re totally out of the woods yet – rather that there is simply more hope and excitement rather than just longing and loneliness as there was when we made this list this time last year. 

Right now, we celebrate – the colors, the emotion, the unexpected thrills and bold statements filmmakers are once more making with the first images we see of the movies we will so soon fall in love with.

Continue reading The Best Film Posters Of 2021 at The Playlist.

There is a common refrain being heard around Hollywood these days and it’s not one that will make the Academy happy (and, no, it’s not about an Academy Museum which has only three floors of exhibits). As more and more AMPAS members screen this year’s crop of Best Picture contenders – and, granted, they are barely getting started – many are verbalizing their concern over the Academy’s decision to stick with 10 nominees this year.

Continue reading The Great Hunt For 10 Best Picture Nominees Continues [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

With “Spencer” arriving this week and receiving a ton of awards buzz already, you would think that filmmaker Pablo Larrain might want to keep making these female-led biopics for the rest of his career. His previous film, “Jackie,” went on to earn multiple Oscar nominations several years ago. And now, the filmmaker is ready to talk about his next film, which he admits will be another biopic, but he promises it’ll be his last for a while.

Continue reading ‘Spencer’ Director Pablo Larrain To Finish His Biopic Trilogy With Next Film But Isn’t Saying Who It’ll Be About at The Playlist.

There is a lot to unpack in Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer.” On the surface, it’s a movie centered on a 1991 holiday weekend in the life of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart), a historical figure who still resonates 24 years after her death in a tragic car accident in Paris. But as viewers will quickly learn, Larrain and screenwriter Steven Knight‘s film is, in truth, a portrait of a woman at a breaking point, someone almost frantically trying to escape the chains of the Royal Family she married into.

Continue reading Pablo Larrain On ‘Spencer’: “We Were Making A Movie About Motherhood” [Interview] at The Playlist.

After taking a peek at what’s to come this November, there’s no denying that we’re fully in “the thick of it” when it comes to prestige film releases. Many festival darlings such as “Spencer” and “The Power of the Dog” are making their debut this month, while other slightly under the radar but still celebrated titles will be premiering as well.

Alongside the heavy lifting of some of these awards-friendly titles, there’s also plenty by way of blockbuster releases and easy escapism, from the latest Marvel release “Eternals” to the Netflix/Dwayne Johnson action film “Red Notice.” There will always be gems found in any month (and certainly films to almost always catch up on).

Continue reading 18 Films To See In November: ‘Eternals,’ ‘House Of Gucci,’ ‘Spencer’ & More at The Playlist.

As a public figure who has had numerous experiences with interview quotes being twisted into clickbait articles, Kristen Stewart admits she did not think a stray comment she made about her career would blow up like it did this past week. In a conversation with the Sunday Times of London that posted over the weekend, Stewart noted that out of all the films in her career that she’s “probably only made five good movies.” Two days later she’s in the middle of a press day for her performance as Princess Diana in Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer.” And, of course, this writer is asking about it.

Continue reading Kristen Stewart Says The Fact She’s In “Five Good Movies” Is “F*cking Cool” [Interview] at The Playlist.

There are two types of film fans when it comes to the career of Kristen Stewart. There are the folks that remember her mainly for her work in the “Twilight” franchise (probably the larger contingent). Then you have the people that are more impressed by Stewart’s post-“Twilight” filmography, which consists of auteur dramas and indie darlings. Perhaps there’s a third group (the smallest, by a mile) that really dig her in “Charlie’s Angels.” One thing is for sure, Kristen Stewart has made a ton of films in her career.

Continue reading Kristen Stewart Says Choosing Projects Is A “Crapshoot” & Admits She’s Only Made “5 Really Good Films” In Her Career at The Playlist.

Over the final few months of the year, as the Oscar season starts to heat up and frontrunners emerge from the pack, certain arthouse films find themselves as hyped as any Hollywood blockbuster. Such is certainly the case with Pablo Larrain‘s “Spencer.” The Kristen Stewart-led Princess Diana biopic has won hearts during each of its festival appearances; throw in a beloved composer like Jonny Greenwood and it’s no surprise that even the soundtrack is enough to generate buzz in certain circles.

Continue reading Listen To The First Track From Jonny Greenwood’s ‘Spencer’ Score at The Playlist.

The last few years have found the “industry” buzzing over when Netflix will capture its first Best Picture win. Considering the considerable effort the streamer has put into its film awards publicity and marketing campaigns over the past four years this shouldn’t be a surprise. So far, Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and David Fincher’s “Mank,” among others, have earned the company massive critical acclaim and a bounty of statues.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ Is Your Unexpected Best Picture Frontrunner…For Now [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

How many filmmakers get to release two, technically three film and TV projects in a row? If you’re Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín, known for “Jackie” and “Neruda,” you get such a privilege, and or the stars just seem to align that way because of the pandemic. Earlier this summer, AppleTV+ released the adaption of Stephen King’s “Lisey’s Story,” which Larrain directed and then in August, his last feature, “Ema” co-starring Gael Garcia Bernal, was finally released theatrically in the U.S.

Continue reading ‘Spencer’ Trailer: Kristen Stewart Goes For Oscar Gold In Pablo Larrain’s New Princess Diana Drama at The Playlist.

Even though COVID might prevent a lot of folks from making the trip to the UK for this year’s BFI London Film Festival, the event is shaping up to be yet another fall film festival jam-packed with awesome features.

READ MORE: Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films

According to BFI, this year’s LFF is going to feature 159 feature films, including 21 World Premieres. The biggest premiere is likely going to be Jeymes Samuel’s highly-anticipated Western, “The Harder They Fall,” which also serves as the Opening Night selection.

Continue reading BFI London Film Festival 2021 Lineup Includes ‘The Harder They Fall’ World Premiere, ‘Spencer,’ ‘Last Night In Soho’ & More at The Playlist.

TELLURIDE – For those of us lucky enough to attend Cannes, there was a genuine sense of euphoria about returning to an in-person film festival following the pandemic forced cancellation in 2020. Returning to Telluride, which only featured a historic “Nomadland” outdoor screening last year, due to said pandemic, warmed the heart. Obviously, it wasn’t the same. Mandatory masks in all theaters meant it was often more intrusive to speak with other festival goers about their thoughts on the selections than in previous years, but overall there was a collective sense of joy in just how lucky everyone was to return to the annual Colorado cinephile showcase

READ MORE: Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” is a stirring coming of age portrait with magnificent performances [Telluride Review]

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a mainstay at Telluride, wasn’t “officially” on the ground this year due to concerns over the Delta variant, but many AMPAS members still made the trek.

Continue reading ‘Belfast’ & ‘King Richard’ Stir Oscar Season At Telluride at The Playlist.

Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood has been stretching his composing legs with scores for both “Power of The Dog” and “Spencer” with dual scores in a single year, putting him in a perfect place to land a second Oscar nomination. He’s already teasing a reunion with director Paul Thomas Anderson after previously working with the filmmaker on “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” “Inherent Vice,” and “Phantom Thread.”

READ MORE: Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood Has Scored Jane Campion’s ‘The Power Of The Dog’

While speaking with NME, Greenwood has dished about Paul Thomas Anderson already emailing him about upcoming projects giving some brief insight on what is next for the musician concerning film scores.

Continue reading Jonny Greenwood Teases Reunion With Paul Thomas Anderson For “A Couple Potential Projects” at The Playlist.

If you have even the smallest dislike of the grotesquely redundant and regressive institution that is the British monarchy, one of the greatest pleasures of the shamelessly pleasurable, archly self-aware, high camp masterpiece that is Pablo Larraín‘s “Spencer,” is envisioning how it will play to the still-living people it glancingly portrays. Imagine the creasing of Royal brows sending Royal spectacles cascading down Royal noses! Picture the Royal flushes creeping up Royal necks!

Continue reading Kristen Stewart Is An Incandescent Diana In Pablo Larraín’s Tremendous ‘Spencer’ [Venice Review] at The Playlist.

It’s that most wonderful, debilitating time of the year. The Fall Film Festival Season gives us myriad new films and ensures that some of us don’t go outdoors for about two weeks straight at the beginning of September. Such are the sacrifices we make for cinema. The Venice Film Festival has already kicked off today, and starting tomorrow, after a year away thanks to COVID-19, the Telluride Film Festival returns and returns rather triumphantly at that.

Continue reading Telluride 2021 Preview: 10 Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.

Trust us when we say we hope there’s a day when the words pandemic and COVID-19 are never written on the pages of this website again, specifically in any intros to any features. However, the reality is that the collective disruption of 2020 was difficult, and it made 2021’s release schedule something of a log-jammed shitshow. That Delta variant could play havoc with things too, but we’re all starting to learn to live with a world that’s in flux. 

READ MORE: The Best Films Of 2021, So Far

All that said, the delays of 2021 have had their pluses.

Continue reading Fall 2021 Movie Preview: 60+ Must-See Films at The Playlist.

Director Jane Campion is back with the Netflix film “Power of The Dog” after a 12-year hiatus from feature-length filmmaking (she did make two “Top Of The Lake” series during this time). The western thriller has an impressive cast consisting of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Thomasin McKenzie, and Jesse Plemons.

Continue reading Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood Has Scored Jane Campion’s ‘The Power Of The Dog’ at The Playlist.

It’s late August, and while the leaves aren’t falling just quite yet, the Fall Film Festival season is upon us. As usual, the Venice Film Festival always starts with the Telluride Film Festival following on its heels just a day or two later. Venice’s line-up has been stellar the last few years—in part due to Netflix’s ongoing battle with Cannes and their French theatrical rules—and this year is mostly no different.

Continue reading Venice Film Festival 2021 Preview: 12 Must-See Films To Watch at The Playlist.