The Playlist Podcast Network

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles Barfield, Mike DeAngelo, and Brian Farvour discuss the shocking news that "Wonder Woman 1984" is being released on HBO Max on the same day as theaters. In addition, filmmaker Sean Durkin joins to talk about "The Nest," his award contending drama starring Jude Law & Carrie Coon. Finally, "Sound of Metal" arrives in theaters and the hosts dive dee...

In this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles Barfield, Mike DeAngelo, and Brian Farvour discuss the new films "Freaky" and "Fatman" while preparing for the release of "Mank" by digging into three of their favorite David Fincher films. Yes, there is some "Alien 3" discussion. 0:00 - 22:00 - Intro & "Freaky" discussion 22:00 - 43:15 - "Fatman" discussion 43:15 - 74:00 - David Fincher recomme...

In honor of both the late Sean Connery and the 25th anniversary of "GoldenEye" (1995), Be Reel looks back at the debuts of every actor to play 007: Connery (“Dr. No”), Roger Moore (“Live and Let Die”), Timothy Dalton (“The Living Daylights”), Pierce Brosnan (“GoldenEye”) and Daniel Craig (“Casino Royale”)—with a courteous nod to George Lazenby, too. Don't worry, folks, we don't try too many impres...

In this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles, Mike, and Brian talk about the latest thriller from Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, titled "Let Him Go." They also discuss the bare-knuckle boxing film, "Jungleland," with director Max Winkler. 0:00 - 16:30 -- "Let Him Go" discussion 16:30 - 25:15 -- "Jungleland" discussion 25:15 - 48:30 -- Max Winkler interview 48:30 - 59:00 -- This Weeks "Recco's"

The Playlist Podcast returns with a Halloween episode where The Playlist Managing Editor Charles Barfield is joined by co-hosts Mike DeAngelo and Brian Farvour to talk about the horror facing movie theaters during the pandemic, as well as discuss three new spooky films, "The Craft: Legacy," "Spell," and "Kindred."  0:00 - 18:00 - Movie Theaters, the pandemic, and James Bond 18:00 - 27:00 - Ki...

It’s Halloween week, and nobody embodies the committed glam and eerie camp of the holiday quite like Tim Curry. This week on Be Reel, Chance and Noah celebrate and reappraise the British legend’s iconic costumed roles: “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (1975), “Legend” (1985), and “It” (1990). We also make a brief return to “Clue” manor (1985). Recorded deep in the Vermont woods, this episode a...

You may recognize Mark Webber as the talent, the creep, or the kid from cult favorites like 
“Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,” “Green Room” or “Broken Flowers.” What you might not know is that the well-traveled character actor has embarked on an ambitiously self-interrogative directing career as well, culminating in his latest film: “ The Place of No Words .” This week, Webber talks with Chance about...

For the 30th anniversary of "To Sleep with Anger" (1990), we dive into the films of principal "L.A. Rebellion" director Charles Burnett. Part of the first generation of Black directors to come out of American film school, Burnett brought a daring cinematographer’s eye and watchful activist’s pen to films like "Killer of Sheep" (1978) and "The Glass Shield" (1994). Of course, one can’t talk about B...

Being the son of one of Canada's most heralded genre filmmakers casts a large shadow often resulting in tired comparisons between their respective works that might not have been drawn otherwise. The desire for film fans to group filmmakers together due to familial ties isn't exactly a new concept (even if it is unfair), however, it is something Brandon Cronenberg has had to grapple with his entire...

God loves a terrier and probably the directorial work of Christopher Guest, too. On the latest Be Reel , we watched “Waiting for Guffman” (1996), “Best in Show” (for its 20th anniversary), “A Mighty Wind” (2003), and “For Your Consideration” (2006)—all currently streaming on Hulu. Let’s dive in to ask what these movies tell us about today’s documentary craze for wild subcultures and whether there’...

As we enter the most fraught back-to-school season in recent memory, Be Reel looks back at Hollywood’s conception of underserved students and the inspirational educators who rescue their learning. This week, it’s “Stand and Deliver” (1988), “Lean On Me” (1989), “Dangerous Minds” (1995), and “Precious” (2009). Joining us are Dr. Micia Mosely and Kia Walton from Black Teacher Project to discuss 2020...

For a screenwriter, to be featured on the coveted annual Black List is a tremendous accomplishment that’s jumpstarted the career of many of the industry’s hottest writers. If you’re Mattson Tomlin , you’ve not only been featured on that list six times in the past four years, but you’ve done so before the age of thirty. Like the most accomplished athletes, Tomlin regularly exercises his creative mu...

Only in a career as pioneering and storied as Gordon Parks ' could an achievement like "first Black Hollywood director" fall into the second paragraph. Yet Parks' significance as a photographer and renaissance man does often overshadow a film career that saw him direct " The Learning Tree " (1969), " Shaft " (1971), and " Leadbelly " (1976). This week, Be Reel revisits these too-forgotten cinemati...

Ryan Oliver and Jenny Nulf (Austin Asian American Film Festival, Austin Chronicle) discuss five of the new releases that came out across various platforms this last weekend, including "The Old Guard," "Palm Springs," "First Cow," and more. 0:00-24:14: "The Old Guard" 24:15-43:30: "Palm Springs" 43:31-01:13:50: "Relic" and "The Beach House" 01:13:51-End: "First Cow"

When it comes to being an on-screen mariner, Tom Hanks takes his orders from no one. To celebrate his recent birthday and the release of the new WWII submarine movie " Greyhound " (2020), Chance and Noah dive into the boat-bound roles of Hanks’ storied career. That means “ Splash ” (1984), “ Sleepless In Seattle ” (1993), “ Cast Away ” (2000), “ Captain Phillips ” (2013), and then “Greyhound.” Can...

Cristin Milioti is the definition of an entertainer. She’s a musician, singer/songwriter, stage performer, Broadway star, and actress - and that’s just what we know. She won a Grammy and was nominated for a Tony Award for her breakout performance in the musical adaptation of “ Once .” She collaborated with Martin Scorsese on “ The Wolf of Wall Street ,” and, in television, has had pivotal (in some...

" Cane River " (1982), a recently unearthed debut from late writer/director Horace Jenkins , is now, after a year of remastering, available for streaming. Part love story, part critique of colorism in Louisana, "Cane River" is a moving examination of how cinematic romances can't escape history. Critic and writer Tiana Reid joins Noah and Chance to unpack the concept of the "Black outdoors" and rev...

Most actors wouldn't consider leaving a role as one of the most popular and beloved characters on one of the most acclaimed BBC costume dramas in it's prime. However, most actors aren't Dan Stevens . To avoid being typecast, the " Downton Abby " alum boldly exited the series in 2012 to pursue a career in American cinema. Since then, Stevens has strived to diversify his filmography. He's had great...

Much like it's vampirical antagonist, AMC ’s summer horror fare, " NOS4A2 " recently began its second life. The show, based on Joe Hill 's novel of the same name, about a 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith symbiotically linked to succubus Charlie Manx ( Zachary Quinto ) and his battle against Vic McQueen ( Ashleigh Cummings ), a young woman who has superpowers of her own, had its second season premiere last...

"It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" co-creator and star Rob McElhenney talks with Chance Solem-Pfeifer about 14 seasons of changing yet not changing Mac, answering constant questions about his physique, and the new quarantine episode of his Apple TV+ comedy "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet." Plus, there's George RR Martin talk and McElhenney's overall advice for staying sharp and responsible as an a...

"Chicken Run" (2000) turns 20 this week, and to celebrate, Chance and Noah are looking back at the filmography of Nick Park, the chief creative voice of Aardman Animation through its heyday. To understand the origins of Park's droll but heartfelt world, we rewind to the original, Academy Award-winning "Wallace & Gromit" shorts and discuss all the hallmarks of tactility—exploding fruit, precoci...

Kathryn Hahn is having a sustained ongoing moment and it's arguably been happening since 2013. That year, she starred in Jill Soloway's "Afternoon Delight," and while the response to that Sundance indie was muted, it arguably transformed her career, taking her out of supporting "crazy lady" comedic roles and into the place of lead in complex comedic dramas about female identity, desire and the yea...

On this episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Kathia Woods (Cup of Soul Show, Philadelphia Tribune, Awards Watch) and Ronda Racha Penrice (Zora, NBC THINK, Atlanta Journal Constitution) to discuss the latest Spike Lee joint - "Da 5 Bloods" - while spending the bulk of the discussion looking back at the more underrated and under-appreciated films in Lee's four decades of filmmaking. 0:00-23:13 - "Da 5...

Some cinematic properties are lost in production-limbo for ages, and yet, when the films are finally released, the timing could not have worked better for them. The Creator and author of " Artemis Fowl ," Eoin Coffer , has jokingly stated that the film would be finished two years after his death. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait that long. But while the film took almost twenty years to make; those...

Rebecca Hall talks about her role as an emotionally closed-off physicist in Amazon Prime's humanist sci-fi series "Tales From The Loop" with the Deep Focus host Rodrigo Perez. Hall is also making her directorial debut with the upcoming film "Passing," starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. It's an adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1920s Harlem Renaissance novel, which explores the practice of racial p...