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Penélope Cruz in Woody Allen’s ‘The Bop Decameron’

2011/06/20 at 12:00am

Penélope Cruz in Woody Allen’s ‘The Bop Decameron’

06.20.2011 | By Jack Rico |

New York (June 20, 2011) – Woody Allen announced today the full cast for “The Bop Decameron,” his latest film in pre-production. Starring, in alphabetical order, are: Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page. Co-stars include Antonio Albanese, Fabio Armiliata, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ornella Muti, Flavio Parenti, Alison Pill, Riccardo Scamarcio and Alessandro Tiberi.

“The Bop Decameron” is a Gravier Productions film produced by Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum. This is Allen’s first film to be financed by the Italian production and distribution company, Medusa Film. “The Bop Decameron” begins production on July 11 and marks Allen’s first time shooting in Rome. His latest film, “Midnight in Paris,” is currently playing in theaters.

By Jack Rico

2011/05/16 at 12:00am

Reviews

Midnight in Paris

05.16.2011 | By Jack Rico |

Just being in Paris at midnight is a memorable experience that true romantics will appreciate, and most likely, never forget. In the case of Woody Allen, he decided to make a movie about it. Its title is self explanatory – â€˜Midnight in Paris,â€™ and it is without question, his best work since â€˜Matchpointâ€™, a powerful drama that echoes the writings of Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It is also, through May, one of my top 10 films of 2011.

â€˜Midnight in Parisâ€™ is a simple romantic comedy set in Paris that bursts with engrossment. As the story begins, Gil (played by Owen Wilson) and his fiancÃ©e Inez (Rachel McAdams) are tagging along on a trip to Paris with her father, John (Kurt Fuller), and mother, Helen (Mimi Kennedy). These two young people, who are engaged to be married in the fall, have Woody-Allen-like experiences there that change their lives forever.

In true Allen fashion, our New York legend need not be on screen to be felt. His words and direction are immediately recognizable from the onset as we hear the protagonistâ€™s dialogue off-camera while the opening credits are still on screen. Allen, who is filming in Paris for the second time in his career (his first was Everyone Says I Love You), finds his imaginative form again here as his star Owen Wilson meets legendary historical figures of the literary, art and film world, including Spaniard/Mexican Luis BuÃ±uel. Itâ€™s this type of inventiveness humor that has been sorely missed from his work. Somehow he has found it in â€˜Parisâ€™. Throughout the years, Woody has had a very consistent track record of making very good to very bad movies. His last two films ‘Whatever Works‘ and ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger‘ didn’t impress the way ‘Matchpoint’ or ‘Midnight’ do. In ‘Whatever Works‘ comedian Larry David didn’t even managed to crack a smile on my face. The script wasnâ€™t interesting enough nor was the payoff. In “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger ‘, Woody improved the story and even threw in Antonio Banderas for kicks, but it ended up being a rehash of previous average films and had nothing original. Then suddenly he comes out with a gem like this that is simple and honest, true to the Woody of old. To say it titillates the mindâ€™s eye is more than effective.

On the acting front, Owen Wilson, fresh off being a part of one of the worst films of 2010 – How Do You Know – and the overhyped and awkward comedy â€˜Hall Passâ€™, is obliviously innocent and likable as Gil, a hack Hollywood screenwriter that is penning his first novel which he canâ€™t seem to get passionate about. Heâ€™s an uncouth and distracted person that finds it difficult to please his fiance or her family. Wilson plays the role with a wonderful, natural comic instinct and charm that we as the public have come to grow fond of. As is typical for a Woody Allen film, the rest of the superlative supporting cast is top notch. They range from stars like Adrien Brody and Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni to talented newcomers like Corey Stoll, Nina Arianda, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill, and LÃ©a Seydoux.

But no matter what actor steps in as the â€˜starâ€™, the real star will always be Woody Allenâ€™s essence which he leaves on the screen so richly. The script is tight, it always moves forward and there are no frills to be had. The performances are quirky, funny, sexy and astute. â€˜Midnight in Parisâ€™ is Woody Allenâ€™s valentine to the City of Lights, and I hope he comes back to New York yearning to recapture his love for the city like he has in Paris.

Woody Allen announces cast for ‘Midnight in Paris’

By Jack Rico

2010/05/25 at 12:00am

Movies

Woody Allen announces cast for ‘Midnight in Paris’

05.25.2010 | By Jack Rico |

Woody Allen announced today the full cast for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, his latest film in pre-production. The film stars, in alphabetical order: Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen and Owen Wilson. Co-starring in the film, in alphabetical order, are: Nina Arianda, Kurt Fuller, Tom Hiddleston, Mimi Kennedy, Alison Pill and Corey Stoll. The film shoots this summer in Paris.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is a romantic comedy that follows a family travelling to the city for business. The party includes a young engaged couple that has their lives transformed throughout the journey. The film celebrates a young man’s great love for Paris, and simultaneously explores the illusion people have that a life different from their own is better.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures. It is part of a three-picture financing deal between Allen’s Gravier Productions and Mediapro, the Spain-based company which also funded Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and the upcoming “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” to be released domestically by Sony Pictures Classics this fall. Imagina International Sales is handling international sales for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS for most territories.

Nicole Kidman says ‘adios’ to new Allen film

By Mack Chico

2009/05/13 at 12:00am

Movies

Nicole Kidman says ‘adios’ to new Allen film

05.13.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Nicole Kidman has ankled her role in Woody Allen’s latest, untitled project.

Pic, which co-stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Brolin, Naomi Watts and Freida Pinto, is set to start shooting in London in the summer.

A scheduling conflict arose due to Kidman producing (through her Rabbit Hole productions)and starring with Aaron Eckhart in the film “Rabbit Hole,” being directed by John Cameron-Mitchell and filming on the East Coast this summer.

There is no word yet on who Kidman’s replacement will be.

Steve Tenenbaum, Gravier Prods.’ Letty Aronson and Mediapro’s Jaume Roures are producing, with Mediapro also financing.

Gravier and Mediapro previously teamed to make Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

Allen’s London-set project will be the first of a three-picture deal between Allen and Mediapro.

Spain’s Imagina Intl. is handling international sales.

Nicole Kidman joins new Woody Allen film!

By Mack Chico

2009/03/26 at 12:00am

Movies

Nicole Kidman joins new Woody Allen film!

03.26.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Nicole Kidman will star in Woody Allen‘s next film, joining the already announced cast of Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Freida Pinto and Naomi Watts.

The as-yet-untitled film is produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures. It is financed by Mediapro, the Spain-based company that also funded “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

Sony Pictures Classics will release Allen’s next completed film, “Whatever Works,” which opens theatrically on June 19.

Woody Allen’s "Whatever Works" to open up Tribeca Film Festival

By Mack Chico

2009/03/02 at 12:00am

Movies

Woody Allen’s "Whatever Works" to open up Tribeca Film Festival

03.2.2009 | By Mack Chico |

The Tribeca Film Festival and Sony Pictures Classics today announced that Woody Allen’s Whatever Works will have its world premiere as the opening night film of the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express. The highly anticipated new comedy is Allen’s first film shot in New York since 2004. Whatever Works, which is written and directed by Allen, stars Larry David (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler), Patricia Clarkson (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and Ed Begley Jr. (Pineapple Express.) The premiere will take place on Wednesday, April 22; the Festival will run through May 3.

“I fell in love with New York through Woody Allen’s movies and I am excited we are opening this year’s Festival with Sony Pictures Classics for the world premiere of Woody’s Whatever Works,” said Tribeca Film Festival co-founder Jane Rosenthal. “Whatever Works is a uniquely funny addition to his body of work.”

Whatever Works follows the success of Allen’s latest release, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which took home the Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy and garnered Penelope Cruz the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Allen’s last film in collaboration with Sony Pictures Classics, 1999’s Sweet and Lowdown, earned two Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (Sean Penn) and Best Supporting Actress (Samantha Morton).

“A lovely idea of showing my film in a film festival in my own city. It’s very exciting,” said Woody Allen.

Sony Pictures Classics states, “The opening of the Tribeca Film Festival is the perfect opportunity to celebrate Woody Allen’s return to filmmaking in New York.”

The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival will announce its feature film slate on March 9 and 11, 2009.

By Mack Chico

2009/02/27 at 12:00am

Movies

Antonio Banderas joins Woody Allen film

02.27.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Antonio Banderas has been added to the lengthening cast of Woody Allen‘s next pic, a still-untitled project set to roll this summer in London, according to producer Mediapro.

The Spanish actor joins the already-announced Naomi Watts, who will co-star with “Slumdog Millionaire” discovery Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins.

This will be Banderas’ first gig with Allen.

Film will be produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures, a principal at Barcelona-based Mediapro, which will also finance the movie.

Aronson’s Gravier Prods. co-produced “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” with Mediapro.

The London project kicks off a three-pic co-production deal between Allen and Mediapro.

Brolin, Hopkins to join new Woody Allen pic

By Mack Chico

2009/02/11 at 12:00am

Movies

Brolin, Hopkins to join new Woody Allen pic

02.11.2009 | By Mack Chico |

Woody Allen has set Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins to star in the film he wrote and will shoot in London this summer.

Brolin and Hopkins are the first in an ensemble cast. As usual, Allen is keeping title and plot under wraps.

The film will be financed by Spain-based Mediapro, which provided coin for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Letty Aronson and Steve Tenenbaum are producing.

There is no domestic distributor yet on Allen’s upcoming film. He made a recent deal with Sony Pictures Classics for U.S. distribution on “Whatever Works,” a comedy that will likely be distributed this summer.

Brolin, Oscar-nominated for “Milk,” is next booked to star in the title role in “Jonah Hex,” a live-action adaptation of the DC Comics series for Warner Bros. He previously worked with Allen on 2004’s “Melinda and Melinda.”

Hopkins recently completed “The Wolf Man” for Universal.

By Alex Florez

2009/01/27 at 12:00am

DVD Reviews Reviews

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

01.27.2009 | By Alex Florez |

Rating: 3.5

Rated: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality, and smoking.
Release Date: 2008-08-15
Starring: Woody Allen
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA, Spain
Official Website: http://vickycristina-movie.com/

Â Go to our film page

Not so long ago, New York based director (at that time, anyway) Woody Allen once confessed to us that the reason there are never any prominent hispanic characters in any of his films is because he sticks to what he knows.Â Meaning of course, old Jewish families, upper class Manhattanites and chaotic love affairs that usually flirt with death.Â So what does Allen now know about Catalonia and Spanish culture in general that prompts him to set his latest film on the mediterranean coast? Other than that they will finance his films?

To answer my own question, I think the appeal for Allen has been the idea that such sexual promiscuity and emotional confusion also exists outside the realm of New York and in practically every single corner of the globe.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, his first and most likely last film to be set in Spain, pits Scarlett Johansson (Cristina) and Rebecca Hall (Vicky) as two American friends who decide to spend their summer in Barcelona.Â Cristina, more of a wandering spirit, is always on the lookout for adventure, while Vicky on the other hand, is much more sensible and committed to her fiance back home.

But their radically different attitudes towards love are tested when they meet Spanish painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) and his volatile ex-wife Maria Elena (PenÃ©lope Cruz).

A case can be made that Allen has made this same film 35 times over (excluding the â€˜early funny onesâ€™). As usual, youâ€™ll find plenty of sarcasm, infidelity and yes, a few rounds fired from a gun.Â But the plot only sizzles when Penelope Cruz joins the cast.Â Her turbulent behavior is wildly reminiscent of Judy Davisâ€™ brilliant performance in Allenâ€™s Deconstructing Harry (1997).Â

Unfortunately, in this film, Cruz is the catalyst for an event that never arrives. The sense that something absurd, tragic and utterly hilarious would take place in the end, the way it did in Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) for instance, kept building throughout the film. Instead, it moves right along, one lustful scene after another, wondering what sort of statement it wants to make about â€˜loveâ€™ that it hasnâ€™t already.

Â Then thereâ€™s the mysterious voice over which threads the film together. Totally unnecessary given that it doesnâ€™t really explain anything nor does it provide any insight from an omniscient point of view.

The movieâ€™s funniest moments, without question, rely on the chemistry between Bardem and Cruz, giving way to the little momentum the film manages at times – making Johansson and Hall seem out of touch with the whole â€˜Woody Allen genreâ€™.

Hispanics however, will marvel at how well Allenâ€™s neurotic language translates in Spanish. While most of the film is spoken in English, the few scenes where Bardem and Cruz exchange a few words in, are hysterical.Â More evidence that these days, the international community seems to get Woody more than we do.

By Mack Chico

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Movies

Official BAFTA nominations list

01.15.2009 | By Mack Chico |

This is Bafta’s best year by far, and there isn’t a major studio in the world that doesn’t know it. The British are creating the best independent films in the world, and for the first time in its long history of pure envy the British Academy can cock a snook at its far more glamorous American counterpart. You don’t need to be Barry Norman to work out that the big films fighting for the top honours at the Bafta awards on February 8 will also be walking up the aisle two weeks later in Los Angeles.

Penelope Cruz was nominated again, making her chances to be nominated at the Oscar’s even better. I did scour the internet and got the complete list of BAFTA nominees. Here you go:

BEST FILM