Marya E. Gates, Author at The Playlist

‘The Janes’ Review: A Bittersweet Look At Abortion Rights Issues & Setbacks

June 10, 2022 11:05 am

In May, Politico obtained a leaked draft penned by Supreme Court Justice Alito showing a majority ruling to overturn both Roe. vs. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). If the leaked documents ar...

‘Love, Victor’ Season 3 Review: Hulu’s Queer Coming-Of-Age Series Comes To A Satisfying End

Marya E. Gates

June 8, 2022 12:31 pm

News, Reviews, Television

Returning to Hulu for its third and final season “Love, Victor” brings the story of Victor Salazar’s (Michael Cimino) queer coming-of-age full circle. While at its heart the show remains a romantic comedy, it ...

‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’: Steven Moffat’s Romantic Sci-Fi Series Remake Is An Icky, Tasteless Misfire

Marya E. Gates

May 18, 2022 10:05 am

News, Reviews, Television

In the 2009 adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” the titular time traveler Henry DeTamble (Eric Bana, soulful) explains that it works like gravity, big events pull him in. Oppos...

‘Hacks’ Season 2 Review: Jean Smart Continues To Amaze, But This Second Act Underwhelms A Little

Marya E. Gates

May 6, 2022 1:32 pm

Features, News, Reviews, Television

Jean Smart ran away with awards season last year for her performance in HBO Max’s breakout comedy “Hacks,” winning the triple crown of best actress in a comedy at the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Emm...

‘Russian Doll’ Season 2 Review: Natasha Lyonne Breaks Time In A Flawed, But Still Compelling New Chapter

Marya E. Gates

April 13, 2022 8:00 am

Features, News, Reviews, Television

After a three-year break, Netflix’s Emmy-nominated dramedy “Russian Doll” is finally back. When last we saw Natasha Lyonne’s eccentric chain-smoking software engineer Nadia, she had finally broken out of a tim...

Oscars 2022: The Snubs & Surprises

Marya E. Gates

March 28, 2022 9:58 am

Awards, Features, News

The Oscars were back in the Dolby Theater this year with social distancing and eight categories presented before the live show even began. While there was a joke about Samuel L. Jackson in hosts Regina Hall, A...

‘Seriously Red’ Review: Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale & More Channel The Spirit of Dolly Parton [SXSW]

Marya E. Gates

March 17, 2022 10:37 am

Festivals, News, Reviews

Taking inspiration from the Dolly Parton quote, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose,” the Australian comedy “Seriously Red” features the most Dolly Parton paraphernalia you’ll ever see outside of Dollyw...

‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ Review: A Terrific Horror Comedy Evisceration Of TikTok-Era Entitlement & Rich, Gen-Z Privilege [SXSW]

Marya E. Gates

March 15, 2022 9:04 am

Features, Festivals, News, Reviews

“You’re such a dick.” This oft-repeated line from “Bodies Bodies Bodies” could describe almost every character in Halina Reijn’s terrific new horror-comedy. Set in a remote mansion during a coke-fueled hurrica...

‘The Cow’ Review: Winona Ryder Shines In Eli Horowitz’s Romance Horror [SXSW]

Marya E. Gates

March 14, 2022 1:28 pm

Festivals, News, Reviews

There are certain actors who seem to have grown up before the public’s eye. Whose very existence serve to remind us of our own mortality. It’s fitting then that a movie about the relentlessness of time and the...

‘The Lost City’ Review: Channing Tatum & Sandra Bullock Charm In A ‘Romancing The Stone’-Like Throwback Adventure [SXSW]

Marya E. Gates

March 13, 2022 9:53 am

Features, Festivals, News, Reviews

Why does it always have to be snakes? Well, what says great peril more than a chamber full of the slithering reptiles? That’s how we first meet daring adventurers Dash and Lovemore, tied up on the floor in a t...

Author Marya E. Gates