The Playlist Podcast Network

It should be a point of pride for any filmmaker who can be credited for “saving” a cinematic franchise. However, Martin Campbell sits in the singular position of having achieved this twice : when the James Bond franchise awoke from a six-year hiatus where there was no longer a Cold War to fight, and the interest in the character was uncertain, Campbell introduced the world to Pierce Brosnan in 199...

Jonathan Levine admits that he’s typically known for directing comedy features. However, when you watch his new limited TV series, “Nine Perfect Strangers,” you are going to see the filmmaker spread his wings a bit more by taking on his most ambitious project to date. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Levine talks about taking on his first major TV gig for the Hulu series and why “Nine...

This week on the podcast, we have the filmmaker Neill Blomkamp , the director of “ District 9 ,” “ Elysium ,” “ Chappie, ” and his upcoming IFC Midnight film, “ Demonic .” In this episode, Blomkamp tells us all about the creation, conception, and shooting of “Demonic,” his attempts to bring “ Alien 5 ” to the screen—he thinks it's deader than Dillinger, by the way— a little bit about “ Robocop ” a...

HBO ’s “ Westworld ” with her husband, Jonathan Nolan . Having now guided the dystopian sci-fi series through three critically acclaimed seasons, Joy found herself in the director’s chair for the first time, directing the season two episode “ The Riddle of the Sphinx .” “I learned a lot about my directorial style,” said Joy about her work on the episode, “which is, before I even start prep, I norm...

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, we’re joined by filmmaker Ferdinando Filomarino, the director of the new Netflix thriller, “Beckett," starring John David Washington and Alicia Vikander. You can hear us talk more about “Beckett,” the underrated skills of Boyd Holbrook, and the future of the theatrical experience in our discussion.

"Y’all wanna hear a story about why me & this bitch here fell out? It’s kind of long but full of suspense.” On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, we have on writer, director and actor Janicza Bravo, who directed and co-wrote A24 's Sundance indie " Zola ." Delayed by a year because of the pandemic, "Zola" finally came out earlier this summer and now, the film arrives on DVD and Blu-ray (plu...

There are few performers who manage to maintain a high profile in the public eye, and who are perpetually coveted by filmmakers, in the way that Joseph Gordon-Levitt has. Having started as a child actor in hit films like “ A River Runs Through It ” and “ Angels in the Outfield ,” Gordon-Levitt came into adulthood while starring in the iconic sitcom “ 3rd Rock from the Sun ” and the fan-favorite ro...

The folks behind Marvel Studios' first animated series, "What If?" (head writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrews) join The Playlist Podcast to talk about their new multiverse series, why they didn't know anything about "Loki" before working on the show, and how other Marvel Studios filmmakers helped them shape their stories. 

Surprise, surprise! HBO put together yet another prestige show with outstanding performances, cinematography, and direction. The recent remake of "Perry Mason" didn’t so much as show up to thrill us, but confront us with simultaneously beautiful and abhorrent dread, and at the center of that is a masterful lead performance by none other than Matthew Rhys ("The Americans"). Matthew recently sat dow...

In this episode of The Playlist Podcast , we’re once again joined by Rodrigo Perez to talk about the latest film in the DCEU, “The Suicide Squad.” Did James Gunn succeed where David Ayer couldn’t? Are you going to believe Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2 are two of the best characters in modern superhero films? We dive deep into the new film and talk about all that and much more.

What is a soul? Where do souls come from? And is life even worth living if everything feels hopeless? These are questions that are tackled in “Nine Days,” the debut feature from filmmaker Edson Oda. And helping answer those questions are the two leads, Zazie Beetz and Winston Duke, who joined The Playlist Podcast to talk about the new film, plus their Marvel experiences. 

Writer Michael Waldron is one busy guy lately. Not only did he lead the writer’s room for " Loki" and the upcoming Starz series "Heels ," but he’s also writing the upcoming " Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and producer Kevin Feige ’s upcoming " Star Wars" project. On the latest episode of The Playlist Podcast , Michael Waldron sat down with Mike and Brian to talk a little about every...

A great comic book movie requires a lot of elements to fall into place. You need a great special effects team, at least one compelling hero or antihero to rally behind for two hours, and a snappy script peppered with engaging action. However, most of all, you need a fearless and endlessly inventive director bringing all of the other pieces together. Without fail, the greatest comic book films have...

Before even turning thirty, Alicia Vikander had already starred in the sci-fi thriller “ Ex Machina ,” teamed up with Matt Damon in “ Jason Bourne ,” was in pre-production as the lead in the reboot of the action franchise “ Tomb Raider ,” and had won an Academy Award for her performance in “ The Danish Girl .”  Whether it be the three projects she has coming out this year, her marriage to fel...

Before the DM or chatroom, if you wanted to connect with a stranger pseudo-anonymously, you bought a personal ad. This week, Be Reel seeks three films with classified ads as inciting incidents: “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985), “Single White Female (1992) and the now 20-year-old “Ghost World” (2001). Romance, murder and vicarious living abound, plus the story of Chance and Noah once answering an...

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast , we talk about the recent news about the big box office drop from "Black Widow" and a theory that perhaps Marvel Studios is its own worst enemy when it comes to the poor box office showing. Is NATO correct in blaming Disney+ Premier Access for taking away from box office earnings? Is COVID the reason that the recent Scarlett Johansson-led superhero film is...

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast , actor Alex Wolff joins us to chat about his roles in “ Old” and “ Pig” – both movies dropping within a week of one another this summer. During the conversation, we talked about how "Old" director M. Night Shyamalan gets a bad rap for being dark and mysterious, what it's like working with Nicolas Cage for "Pig," and the legacy of "Hereditary."

In the long, storied history of TV hosts, Anthony Bourdain is an iconic figure, as he basically redefined the idea of what a celebrity chef could be and what a travel series should look and sound like. Of course, that all came to a tragic end in 2018, after Bourdain died by suicide. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast , Oscar-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville talks about the legacy of Antho...

Though she hasn't been around for 50 years, the filmography of actress Alexandra Daddario is quite extensive. She's done everything from prestige TV (" True Detective ") to franchise films (" Percy Jackson ") to action blockbusters (" San Andreas ") and much more. Her latest project is a new dramedy series for HBO , " The White Lotus ." For this episode of The Playlist Podcast , we're joined by Da...

Netflix's “Gunpowder Milkshake” harkens back to the classic assassin films of yore while also throwing a little Tarantino flavor and color in the mix to create a fun, ultraviolent adventure with a feminist spin. Director Navot Papushado joined The Playlist Podcast for a discussion on the film and his other previous and upcoming projects.

It’s July 2021 and instead of talking about “F9,” “Black Widow,” or any of the summer blockbusters from this year, The Playlist Podcast is going back to the ‘80s to talk about two cult classic summer films, “Escape From New York” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” Why? Because they’re both celebrating big anniversaries. Oh, and because John Carpenter is one of the best filmmakers of all time and K...

R. L. Stine is back on our screens in top form with Netflix's “ Fear Street ” trilogy, based on the author’s massive and iconic book series of the same name. The trilogy comes after years of will-they-won’t-they development rumors, the collapse of an original distribution deal with 20th Century Fox, and are respectively set in three distinctive years: 1994, 1978, and 1666. Leigh Janiak is the dire...

In honor of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" turning 50, Be Reel has constructed a podcast category about bizarro adults and their puzzling worlds. After unpacking the general discomfort of watching candymen, goblin kings and world-builders covet innocent children for mysterious ends, we plunge into the alternate realities of “Willy Wonka” (1971), “Labyrinth” (1986) and “Tomorrowland” (2015...

On today’s episode of The Playlist Podcast , we got to sit down with director Chris McKay and actress Yvonne Strahovski to discuss Amazon ’s latest acquired action blockbuster, “ The Tomorrow War ,” which stars Chris Pratt as a science teacher drafted into an alien war in the future.

The wonderfully talented Betty Gilpin has seen a bit of a surge in her career since her show-stealing role in Netflix’s “Glow,” but now she’s trading body slams and piledrivers for tender moments with Chris Pratt in Amazon’s upcoming alien invasion blockbuster, “The Tomorrow War,” which hits Amazon Prime on July 2. Betty Gilpin joined The Playlist Podcast for a discussion on the film and her other...