There exists a quote: “You can take the dog out of a fight, but you can’t take the fight out of the dog.” A simple twist and we can, albeit awkwardly, apply such a phrase to “Merv,” another romantic comedy in a long list of contemporaries which, despite scant traces of effort, fails in making its title character anything more than second fiddle to the couple who should rightfully take his place. Continue reading ‘Merv’ Review: A Prototypical Rom-Com Barely Hidden Behind A Canine Facade at The Playlist.

Last week, beloved actor Paul Dano took some cheap shots from Quentin Tarantino as the “Kill Bill” filmmaker, calling his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “There Will Be Blood” opposite Daniel Day-Lewis “weak sauce” and “the worst fucking actor in SAG,” which came off as one of many out-of-touch moments from the director (he’s shared a lot of bad takes over the years) that has led to fellow actors and the online community supporting Dano from Tarantino’s oddball ire. Continue reading ‘Bunker’: Paul Dano Joins Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Stephen Graham & Patrick Schwarzenegger In Psychological Thriller at The Playlist.

There is a tradition of “Saturday Night Live” stars hosting the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen, Kate McKinnon, Melissa Villaseñor, and Aidy Bryant have all emceed the event. This year, after a fantastic two-year stint by Bryant, Ego Nwodim is taking the batand. READ MORE: “Peter Hujar’s Day,” “Sorry, Baby,” Train Dreams” and “Adolescence’ Top 2026 Independent Spirit Awards Nominations [Complete List] In a statement from Film Independent Nwodim noted, “No stage celebrates the incredible work of these visionary artists and independent creators everywhere quite like the Spirit Awards. Continue reading Ego Nwodim Will Host The 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards at The Playlist.

The popular cinephile French YouTube channel Kobini (which sort of takes a page from popular The Criterion Closet videos) recently spoke with “One Battle After Another” writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and star Leonardo DiCaprio about the Best Picture hopeful, where Anderson was directly asked about the chances of getting a director’s cut of the film, and joked about the potential of a follow-up installment with breakout actress Chase Infinti reprising the role of Willa Ferguson. Continue reading ‘One Battle After Another’: Paul Thomas Anderson Says There Will Be No Director’s Cut & Jokes About A Chase Infinti-Led Sequel at The Playlist.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Japanese anime film ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc‘ made huge waves at the box office, and it has landed the top spot on quite an interesting list of Top 10 films of the year. The cinephile social media app Letterboxd (via Collider) has a Top 10 list based on the average rating (out of five stars) of movies watched by at least 50,000 users. Continue reading Anime Flick ‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’ Leads Letterboxd’s Top 10 2025 List at The Playlist.

We can now share a trailer for Mascha Schilinski‘s acclaimed sprawling drama “Sound of Falling” as the buzzy pic, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year, is Germany’s entry for the Best International Feature Film Oscar for next year’s Academy Awards. After making previous festival runs, including at the Toronto International Film Festival, “Sound of Falling,” written and directed by Schilinski, is heading to theaters on January 16. Continue reading ‘Sound Of Falling’ Trailer: Mascha Schilinski’s Buzzy Cannes Jury Prize Winner & Oscar Hopeful Heads To Theaters January 16 at The Playlist.

“Anora” writer/director Sean Baker is briefly teasing what audiences can expect from his next feature film effort after tallking at Deadline Red Sea Studios in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, where he confirmed he completed a new short film starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Wicked”) as the Malaysia-set short was made for fashion brand Self-Portrait. Baker told Deadline his next untitled feature project will be “along the same size as ‘Anora’ and perhaps covering similar themes.” Adding, “I will say I would like to continue to lean into comedy a little bit more. Continue reading Sean Baker Says Next Movie May “Lean Into Comedy” & Share “Similar Themes” With ‘Anora’: “Hopefully, I’m Getting It Off The Ground Next Year’ at The Playlist.

At the Red Sea Film Festival, filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, who recently released his peroid NYC-set comedic crime capper “Caught Stealing,” during an appearance at the event was directly asked to comment about his thoughts on the recent industry-shaking news that Netflix has closed a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery (in the wake of a hostile takeover attempt by David Ellison‘s Paramount Skydance). Continue reading Darren Aronofsky Shares Reaction To WBD-Netflix Merger News: “Having One Less Player Is Always Bad…That’s A Bummer” at The Playlist.

The first season of the acclaimed Hulu series “Paradise” nabbed a Golden Globe nomination this morning with Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series (Drama) for lead actor Sterling K. Brown. In February, the series returns, and a new trailer for the next round of episodes made its way online over the weekend after debuting at Brazil’s big CCXP 2025 event. Continue reading ‘Paradise’ Season 2 Teaser Trailer: Sterling K. Brown’s Acclaimed Hulu Series Returns In February 23 at The Playlist.

Hulu‘s next chapter in “The Handmaid’s Tale” saga is the Ann Dowd-led spinoff series “The Testaments,” which sees the actress from the original show reprise the role of Aunt Lydia Clements as we’ve got our hands on a batch of first-look images as it debuts in April. The new spinoff series also stars on-the-rise actress Chase Infiniti, who is gathering a lot of buzz surrounding her co-starring performance alongside veteran acting heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s Best Picture Oscar hopeful “One Battle After Another.” This led to her recent landing herself a Golden Globes nomination on Monday, a potential early signal that she’ll be shortlisted for an Oscar nomination next year. Continue reading ‘The Testaments’ First Look: Hulu’s ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Spinoff Starring Ann Dowd & Rising Actress Chase Infiniti Debuts In April at The Playlist.

New shows and returning favorites are coming to television and streaming in January. And, for fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” that means another season of queens hoping to have enough C.U.N.T. to take the title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar.” Paramount and MTV already revealed the new cast last week, but this morning, they put the spotlight on the show’s celebrity judges. And, as is tradition, a major music star is set for the premiere. Continue reading Cardi B, Zara Larsson, Teyanna Taylor and ‘SNL’s’ Sarah Sherman Guest Judges For ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18 at The Playlist.

Any award is something to get excited about these days. So, it was no surprise stars such as Emma Stone, Jessie Buckley, Jenna Ortega, and Michael B. Jordan were thrilled over their 2026 Golden Globe Awards nominations. Here’s a rundown of the reactions so far, which will be updated throughout the day. READ MORE: “One Battle After Another,” “Sentimental Value,” And “The White Lotus” Top 2026 Golden Globes Awards Nominations [Complete List] “Wow! Continue reading Golden Globes Reactions: Emma Stone, Michael B. Jordan, Cynthia Erivo, Jenna Ortega And More at The Playlist.

All good things come to an end, and when it comes to “The Boys,” it might be with a blood splatter. The comic book adaptation series has landed a new teaser trailer showcasing the events in the fifth and final season, as the mega-popular show is ending, and it looks like some of our favorite characters may not survive the last round of episodes. Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Continue reading ‘The Boys’ Teaser Trailer: Prime’s Mega-Popular Violent & Mature Superhero Series Comes To An End With Season 5 Debuting In April at The Playlist.

Apple TV+ is offering a first look at “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” the eight-episode adaptation of Rufi Thorpe’s bestselling novel produced by A24. The series premieres globally on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, launching with three episodes before dropping weekly through May 20. READ MORE: 8 December Show To Watch: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Fallout,’ Emily In Paris’ & More Elle Fanning stars and executive produces as Margo, a recent college dropout and aspiring writer who’s suddenly juggling a new baby, a shrinking bank account, and a fast-growing stack of bills. Continue reading ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ First Look: Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer & Nicole Kidman’s New David E. Kelly Series Arrives In April at The Playlist.

Last week, the industry got shook with the news that streaming giant Netflix was putting in an offer of roughly $72 billion to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (would also include multiple other divisions they own such as Cartoon Network, CNN, HBO and HBO Max), which raised concerns that the budding deal could greatly impact the studio’s future output and the fate of their theatrical windows (co-CEO Ted Sarandos has telegraphed shortening windows and moving that WB pipeline to the streaming service) alongside potential antitrust issues that even lawmakers like U.S. Continue reading David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance Attempts Hostile Takeover Of WB With $108B Bid, Gets Help From Middle Eastern Countries & Jared Kushner at The Playlist.

Many will remember that Guy Ritchie made a huge splash with his two “Sherlock Holmes” movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, but he is returning to the public domain world created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with Prime Video‘s new prequel TV series “Young Sherlock,” which is heading to the streaming service sometime in 2026. Continue reading ‘Young Sherlock’ First Look: Guy Ritchie Returns To Tackle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Beloved Detective With Prime Prequel Series Arriving In 2026 at The Playlist.

It’s been a hot minute we’ve seen Kazakh-Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted,” “Ben-Hur”) make a big Hollywood film, but with a cast that features Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, Kylie Rogers, and Kenneth Choi, he’s back with the AI crime actioner “Mercy,” arriving on screens next month. The newly dropped trailer for the near-future movie set in 2029 features Pratt as an LAPD cop who has 90 minutes to prove his innocence, which feels like it takes a bit of a page from movies like “Minority Report” (with a dash of “Source Code“) placing Ferguson’s AI judge in the place of the precogs (predictors of violent crimes like murder) as his fate is being left up to his ability to use this technology. Continue reading ‘Mercy’ Trailer: Chris Pratt & Rebecca Ferguson Topline Timur Bekmambetov’s Near-Future AI Crime Action Pic Coming January 23 at The Playlist.

In 2000, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe gave us a modern resurrection of the swords and sandals genre studio epic with “Gladiator,” as the latter would walk away with a Best Actor Oscar statue in 2001 and the actor is sharing his issues with the recent sequel, “Gladiator 2,” which is based on the major plot angle of the film that Paul Mescal‘s Lucius, was actually the bastard son of Crowe’s Maximus (spoiled in the promotional material ahead of release in 2024). Continue reading Russell Crowe Says Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator 2’ Lacked A Key “Moral Core” The Original Had at The Playlist.

The Golden Globes revealed their 2028 nominations early Monday morning. Announced by Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall, the film category was led by “One Battle After Another” with a hefty nine noms, “Sentimental Value” with equally sweet eight noms, “Sinners” with an impressive seven noms, “Hamnet” with six noms, and “Wicked For Good” tied with “Frankenstein” with 5 noms. Continue reading ‘One Battle After Another,’ ‘Sentimental Value,’ & ‘The White Lotus’ Top 2026 Golden Globes Awards Nominations [Complete List] at The Playlist.

In many cases with franchises, we’ve seen studios split big event movies (“Wicked” and “Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows” being some previous examples of that) or attempt to stretch a single story in a chore of a trilogy (as we saw with New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson‘s “The Hobbit” movies taking a small whimsical fantasy story into a massive trilogy) as a way to make a boatload more at the box office. Continue reading James Cameron Saw Studio Pushback When Splitting ‘Avatar 2’ Script Into Two Movies, Reminding Them About Making Another “$2 Billion” at The Playlist.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded its year-end prizes for 2025, and it went to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.” The Warner Bros. release has now won the top prize from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Board of Review, the Gotham Awards, and, now, the premier West Coast critics’ group. Anderson also won Best Director. READ MORE: 15 Pressing Questions For A Netflix Warner Bros. Continue reading ‘One Battle After Another’ Lands Another Best Film Prize, This Time From The LA Film Critics Association at The Playlist.

Last week, beloved actor Paul Dano took some cheap shots from Quentin Tarantino as the “Kill Bill” filmmaker, calling his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson‘s “There Will Be Blood” opposite Daniel Day-Lewis “weak sauce” and “the worst fucking actor in SAG,” which came off as one of many out-of-touch moments from the director (he’s shared a lot of bad takes over the years) that has led to fellow actors and the online community supporting Dano from Tarantino’s oddball ire. Continue reading ‘Bunker’: Paul Dano Joins Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Stephen Graham & Patrick Schwarzenegger In Psychological Thriller at The Playlist.

There are several weekends on the box office calendar that studios and distributors know will be tough sells. Traditionally, that means the 3-day frame following the Thanksgiving holiday, when many Americans are, in theory, spending their hours hunting for holiday gifts to get in the mail. Times may be changing. Especially after “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” earned a fantastic $63 million over the frame domestically and $109 million worldwide. READ MORE: 15 Pressing Questions For A Netflix Warner Bros. Continue reading ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s 2’ Hits With Record $63 Million Post Thanksgiving Box Office Weekend at The Playlist.

It wasn’t too long ago that the Japanese anime film ‘Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc‘ made huge waves at the box office, and it has landed the top spot on quite an interesting list of Top 10 films of the year. The cinephile social media app Letterboxd (via Collider) has a Top 10 list based on the average rating (out of five stars) of movies watched by at least 50,000 users. Continue reading Anime Flick ‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’ Leads Letterboxd’s Top 10 2025 List at The Playlist.

“Anora” writer/director Sean Baker is briefly teasing what audiences can expect from his next feature film effort after tallking at Deadline Red Sea Studios in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday, where he confirmed he completed a new short film starring Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Wicked”) as the Malaysia-set short was made for fashion brand Self-Portrait. Baker told Deadline his next untitled feature project will be “along the same size as ‘Anora’ and perhaps covering similar themes.” Adding, “I will say I would like to continue to lean into comedy a little bit more. Continue reading Sean Baker Says Next Movie May “Lean Into Comedy” & Share “Similar Themes” With ‘Anora’: “Hopefully, I’m Getting It Off The Ground Next Year’ at The Playlist.