In Contention

Woody Allen ups sticks from 'Paris' to 'Rome'

Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:55 am · March 19th, 2012

Hoping to emulate the success of his Oscar-winning hit “Midnight in Paris,” Woody Allen’s latest has switched title from “Nero Fiddled” to “To Rome With Love.”

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Your space to geek out over latest trailer for 'Prometheus'

Posted by Guy Lodge · 8:09 am · March 19th, 2012

So, what did you see over the weekend? “21 Jump Street,” possibly — though to judge from recent chatter on Twitter and elsewhere, no new release got people more excited over the past two days than the 150-second trailer for Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus,” the possible “Alien” prequel with a dream cast headed up by Charlize […]

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SXSW: Wrapping up the 26th annual

Posted by Todd Gilchrist · 11:06 am · March 18th, 2012

This year’s fest offered films from good to bad, but almost nothing great.

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Tell us what you thought of '21 Jump Street'

Posted by Guy Lodge · 1:18 am · March 17th, 2012

Well, who’d’a thunk it? The 1980s TV reboot that absolutely no one asked for has rather taken critics by surprise — crass and rough-edged as it is, the sheer unapologetic silliness of Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s film has charmed everyone from Ebert to A.O. Scott. I am also in the fan club, having particularly appreciated […]

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Whit Stillman comes out of hiding

Posted by Guy Lodge · 10:25 am · March 16th, 2012

Whit Stillman’s “Damsels in Distress” is a delightful comeback from a 13-year hiatus. Will audiences get the joke when the film opens next month?

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Trailer for Tim Burton's 'Dark Shadows' promises funnier vampires than 'True Blood' and 'Twilight'

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 5:25 pm · March 15th, 2012

Tim Burton’s work has been on a bit of a “meh” slope in recent years, and “Dark Shadows” was really starting to look like just another obvious piece of material for him to play around with before moving on to the next. But judging by the recently released trailer, the film might just have its share of inspired moments.

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Review: '21 Jump Street' is a sly, silly celebration of immaturity

Posted by Guy Lodge · 9:42 am · March 15th, 2012

Jonah Hill co-writes and stars in this cheerfully irreverent riff on the 1980s cop series, but it’s Channing Tatum who emerges as its MVP.

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AMPAS's Contemporary Docs program returns with ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ and ‘Catfish’

Posted by Roth Cornet · 8:12 am · March 15th, 2012

Part two of the AMPAS’s 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” screening series features two of the most talked about docs of the last few years: “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and “Catfish.”

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‘Hunger Games’ altered in the UK for a teen-friendly rating

Posted by Roth Cornet · 4:34 pm · March 14th, 2012

Lionsgate UK has been asked to alter “The Hunger Games” in order to receive the 12A classification necessary for the intended audience to be able to see it.

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Plummer's 'Barrymore' to hit theaters in the fall

Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:42 pm · March 14th, 2012

Christopher Plummer may be basking in the glory of his overdue first Oscar win — but could the fall release of “Barrymore” earn him another ticket to the dance?

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Oscars set key 2013 dates, setting up a longer-than-usual phase two

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:40 am · March 14th, 2012

Prospective nominees, prepare to be on the circuit a while.

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Viola Davis settles into leading-lady status

Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:03 pm · March 13th, 2012

Undaunted by her recent Oscar loss, Viola Davis is asserting her post-Oscar clout by producing her first solo leading vehicle: a biopic of pioneering congresswoman Barbara Jordan.

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Has ‘John Carter’ been a victim of the curse of the red planet?

Posted by Roth Cornet · 10:16 am · March 13th, 2012

Is a contemporary audience simply too savvy to the scientific realities to buy into the notion of life on Mars? If we are judging from the box office returns of films that propose the idea, then the answer is decidedly: yes.

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Movieline takes on the Razzies with the Soily Awards

Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:42 am · March 13th, 2012

With the Razzie Awards firing at the same predictable targets, Movieline has aimed a little higher with their rival Soily Awards for 2011’s worst achievements in film.

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Jonah Hill and Tom Hanks send up Oscar season on 'Saturday Night Live'

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:29 pm · March 11th, 2012

Oh, you thought awards season was over? Well, it is, but there’s plenty of room to drag out its last throes on late night, like Jonah Hill did to kick of “Saturday Night Live” last night.

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Julianne Moore owns Jay Roach's 'Game Change' as Sarah Palin

Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:38 pm · March 10th, 2012

The actress gives one of her finest performances to date in the HBO adaptation.

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‘John Carter’ star Willem Dafoe talks performance capture and Oscar

Posted by Roth Cornet · 4:19 pm · March 10th, 2012

Willem Dafoe speaks a bit about motion capture’s role in the awards circuit following his portrayal of the alien Tars Tarkas in Disney’s “John Carter.”

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