Marshall Shaffer, Author at The Playlist

Alia Shawkat Talks The Final Season Of ‘Search Party’ & Dory’s Latest Character Shift [Interview]

January 4, 2022 1:28 pm

In the previous two seasons of HBO Max’s “Search Party,” it’s felt as if Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) has existed within a different genre inside the show. The show’s protagonist has found herself experiencing a c...

‘The Great’ Season 2 TV Review: The Chemistry Between The Two Leads Is Almost Derailed By Tedious Subplots

Marshall Shaffer

November 16, 2021 10:25 am

News, Reviews, Television

If ever a show were crying out to be 30 minutes rather than an hour, it’s Hulu’s “The Great.” With its prestige pedigree in “The Favourite” screenwriter Tony McNamara as well as its ornate wig-and-gown show in...

‘Another World’ Is Another Complex Capitalism Critique From Filmmaker Stéphane Brizé [Venice Review]

Marshall Shaffer

September 10, 2021 2:19 pm

Festivals, News, Reviews

Stéphane Brizé’s “Another World” could make for a worthy conclusion to an unofficial trilogy on contemporary economic relations, following the French filmmaker's recent efforts “The Measure of a Man” and “At W...

‘Django & Django’: This Supposed Sergio Corbucci Doc Mostly Caters To The Musings Of Quentin Tarantino [Venice Review]

Marshall Shaffer

September 10, 2021 9:08 am

Festivals, News, Reviews

Quentin Tarantino never met a camera or microphone he didn’t love, and in Luca Rea’s documentary “Django & Django,” they love him right back. The title is a bit of a misnomer – it’s not really about Sergio...

‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Is A Leaden, Overlong Doc Solely For Superfans [Venice Review]

Marshall Shaffer

September 4, 2021 10:08 am

Festivals, News, Reviews

Given the tendency of music documentaries to do little more than bring a Wikipedia page to life, it’s not exactly an encouraging sign when Bernard MacMahon’s “Becoming Led Zeppelin” begins with the band’s memb...

‘Snake Eyes’: No Dice, As Paramount’s Attempt To Give ‘G.I. Joe’ A Renewed Bite Fails [Review]

Marshall Shaffer

July 22, 2021 10:31 am

Features, News, Reviews

The latest attempt by a studio to rejuvenate a series with big merchandising potential, “Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins,” is not a particularly good version of the prevailing popcorn blockbuster. The film is und...

‘Limbo’: Ben Sharrock’s Deadpan Humor Makes This Refugee Story Come Alive [Review]

Marshall Shaffer

April 23, 2021 12:15 pm

News, Reviews

In Ben Sharrock’s second feature “Limbo,” the compositions are frequently flat. Miraculously, though, the characters contained within them are anything but. The neatly coiffed geometry of Nick Cooke’s photogra...

‘Palmer’: We’re Past The Need For Another Antiquated Allyship Drama Like Apple’s Latest Film [Review]

Marshall Shaffer

January 27, 2021 2:08 pm

News, Reviews

“I’ve had a change of heart based on a personal experience,” said Senator Rob Portman in 2013 when announcing that his own son coming out inspired a shift in his stance towards marriage equality. For the previ...

Thomas Vinterberg, Mads Mikkelsen, Another Round

Writer/Director Thomas Vinterberg on Letting His Alcohol-Inspired ‘Another Round’ Remain Untamable [Interview]

Marshall Shaffer

December 6, 2020 12:03 pm

Interviews, News

The English translation of Thomas Vinterberg’s latest film, “Another Round,” might disguise the real nature of the imbibing that takes place on the screen. The original Danish title, “Druk,” which translates r...

Mads Mikkelsen Talks Drinking and Dancing in ‘Another Round,’ Joining ‘Fantastic Beasts’ [Interview]

Marshall Shaffer

December 5, 2020 10:30 am

Features, Interviews, News

No one can have it all, but if you’re Mads Mikkelsen, you can get pretty close. The 55-year-old Danish actor is a man in demand for some of the biggest names in cinema: James Bond, Marvel, Star Wars … and now ...

Author Marshall Shaffer