In Contention

Tag: Woody Allen

  • Woody does Paris

    Goldie Hawn and Woody Allen in Everyone Says I Love YouAmong the many things I love about Woody Allen — his staying power, his eye for talent, more masterpieces than I can count on two hands — is the fact that whenever anyone refers to “the untitled Woody Allen project,” one usually has to ask which one they mean. His unfailing film-a-year work ethic means there are generally at least two upcoming Allen films floating in the general conversation.

    So, while we’re all aware that his next film after the Big Apple homecoming of “Whatever Works” will be a return to his recently beloved gray skies of London, with Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins and Freida Pinto in the mix, some details have already emerged of his next project after that one.

    Screen International reports that Woody’s 2011 project will see him continuing his European sojourn, this time with a romantic drama set in Paris. Spanish production outfit Mediapro revealed the information, though a script has yet to be completed.

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  • 6/19 Web Round-up

    Larry David in Whatever Works• What is “entertainment news?” [CNN]

    • The top 10 Woody Allen proxies, in honor of Larry David’s performance in “Whatever Works.” [Spout Blog]

    • Hollywood sets its sights on “happening” Washington, D.C. [USA Today]

    • A few days after we discussed the exciting social networking cinephile destination The Auteurs, Andrew O’Hehir writes at considerable length about the influx of Video On Demand websites. [Beyond the Multiplex]

    • Stage productions, coming to a theater near you? [Wall Street Journal]

    • The seven most contrived rom-com scenarios. [Cinematical]

    • Peter Sciretta calls DreamWorks out “Boo U.,” which seems awfully similar to Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.” [/Film]

    • Spotlighting a dozen of EW’s Movie Must list. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • Peter Bart joins Michael Fleming on a new industry blog at variety. [BF Deal Memo]

  • 6/18 Web Round-up

    Antichrist video game• Reed Johnson talks “Whatever Works” with Larry David. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Donna Freydkin, meanwhile, chats up Woody Allen. [USA Today]

    • Lou Lumenick breaks the “Public Enemies” embargo with an unthoughtful, painfully ignorant review. (Updated now, redacted at Universal’s request.) [New York Post]

    • Speaking of which, check out a new clip from the film. [Yahoo! Movies]

    • Shanghai film fest jury president Danny Boyle speaks out against Chinese restrictions on freedom of speech. [The Guardian]

    • Is technology ruining movies? [Rope of Silicon]

    • Uhhhh…an “Antichrist” video game? [/Film]

    • Kevin Maher gets some quality time with “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” director Michael Bay. [The Times]

    • People actually think Christopher Nolan is in a position where he has to fish for more money from Warner Bros.? [CHUD]

  • Larry David on Conan

    I haven’t written about Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works” yet because it’s such a problematic, forgettable piece of work.  Back to the usual after a heck of a success last year, I guess.  But regardless, this “Tonight Show” interview with Larry David last night (his first appearance on the show) is an absolute hoot.   It’s amazing that a partnership with Allen, which you would think would sing, somehow muted his comedic talents. The performance has its moments, but most of them are a bit cheap, I thought. Anyway, here’s the interview, in two parts:

  • 5/27 Web Round-up

    Anvil! The Story of Anvil• Todd Leopold talks to the guys behind “Anvil!: The Story of Anvil.” [CNN]

    • The complete list of tired movie cliches. [Empire]

    • Mark Harris profiles Woody Allen and Larry David. [New York Magazine]

    • Ethan Coen takes to the stage with “Offices,” a cycle of three short plays in the Big Apple. [The Guardian]

    • Anne Thompson sums up the Cannes winners and losers, including her own list of the fest’s best films. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • Kyle Smith slams Sam Mendes’s “Away We Go” as likely appealing to the “German-army-surplus-jacket-wearing slacker demographic.” Ouch. [Lumenick on Film]

    • The 60 greatest American war films. [Premiere]

    • Is “man vs. machine” no longer a terrifying concept? [/Film]

    • Nikki Finke points out the breaking of the 43rd seal: Shawn Levy has now directed six-straight #1 or #2 opening weekend box office champs. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]

    • Top seven pre-“Jaws” summer movies. [Cinematical]

    • McG discusses the alternate “Termiantor Salvation” ending that would have apparently made for amuch better film. [Entertainment Weekly]

  • Kidman out

    Quelle dommage. It appears that Nicole Kidman has dropped out of Woody Allen’s untitled 2010 project. No explanation has been offered.

    It’s hard to say how great a loss this is — with details on the film so sketchy at this point, we have no idea whether we’re talking about the actress ditching a major role or one of those starry cameos he occasionally sprinkles through his ensemble pieces. I’m disappointed nonetheless; Allen would have been a nice name to check off on the actress’s enviable auteur roster.

    I’d suggest the obvious replacement of Naomi Watts, but — oh, wait — she’s already in it. Is Cate Blanchett free?

  • ‘Whatever Works’ trailer

    Well, it certainly works for me — it’s been a while since a trailer made me laugh out loud. Larry David’s and Woody Allen’s respective brands of neurosis seem to mesh together nicely, while Evan Rachel Wood looks unexpectedly comfortable doing the guileless simpleton thing. Patricia Clarkson is obviously having a good time too. I’m in.

  • ‘Whatever Works’ clip

    Guy told you yesterday about those mixed-to-positive notices that have been rolling out of Tribeca for Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works.” I’m hopeful the film works since I’m certainly on the Larry David bandwagon and I snapped to attention last year with “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” one of the year’s best films and Allen’s best work since “Sweet and Lowdown.”

    Well today I stumble onto this clip from the film, which is pretty short and doesn’t give you much.  But it’s something.  Have a look:

  • Mixed-to-positive notices for ‘Whatever Works’

    Evan Rachel Wood in Whatever WorksEven with the success of “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” having partially righted the course of Woody Allen’s career, I can’t help holding my breath when the reviews roll in for his latest effort. Few auteurs inspire more haphazard uses of the term “return to form” (roughly applied to anything that doesn’t go completely off the rails from the word go), with so many critics seeming to forget that Allen’s best form is, well, anyone’s best form. (“Vicky” was a delight, to be sure, but Barcelona is a long way away from “Manhattan,” if you will.)

    In the case of “Whatever Works,” which just opened the Tribeca fest, the trade reviews — while uniformly encouraging — vary between gently disciplining expectations and wildly inflating them. Performing the latter task is David D’Arcy’s all-out rave in Screen International,which declares the film Allen’s best in over a decade:

    Writing a New York story and shooting at home has given Allen a sureness to his voice. The dialogue here has a familiar ring yet a crackling freshness … Whatever Works transcends Allen formulas thanks to David, who is taller, balder and more foul-mouthed than the usual types Allen himself has played. Spitting out his lines, David finds a deeper nastiness here than the everyday bile of his character on the autobiographical Curb Your Enthusiasm. Allen does wonders with a character who isn’t seeking to be loved.

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  • Pot, meet kettle

    American Apparel ad featuring Woody AllenToday’s most hilarious news item concerns an unlikely pair of names: Woody Allen and, uh, American Apparel.

    The root of the story is commonplace enough: Allen sued the clothing company last year for using his image on a series of advertising billboards, without the filmmaker’s authorisation. A fair enough gripe, surely, though I’d question whether it’s worth $10 million. (Is this Woody’s new method of financing pictures? If so, I’m all for it.)

    American Apparel, however, has responded by taking the decidedly low road:

    The company plans to make Allen’s relationships to actress Mia Farrow and her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn the focus of a trial scheduled to begin in federal court in Manhattan on May 18, according to the company’s lawyer, Stuart Slotnick.

    “Woody Allen expects $10 million for use of his image on billboards that were up and down in less than one week. I think Woody Allen overestimates the value of his image,” Slotnick said. “Certainly, our belief is that after the various sex scandals that Woody Allen has been associated with, corporate America’s desire to have Woody Allen endorse their product is not what he may believe it is.”

    It’s a funny tactic, to be sure, but a bit rich coming from a company whose CEO, Dov Charney, famously masturbated in front of a journalist, and has faced numerous sexual harassment lawsuits from his own employees.

    I love Allen, and am wearing an American Apparel T-shirt as we speak, but neither party exactly earned my devotion through ethical excellence — though I think Allen has the upper hand in this instance. More details here, and another of the offending billboards after the cut.

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  • Is Clarkson one to watch for ‘Whatever Works?’

    Evan Rachel Wood and Patricia Clarkson in Whatever WorksAs Penélope Cruz, Dianne Wiest, Mira Sorvino and assorted nominees over the years can attest, if you’re an actress hungry for some awards attention, you can do a lot worse than take a supporting role in an (at least) halfway decent Woody Allen film. (Unless, of course, you’re Scarlett Johansson, who’s still holding an IOU for her startling work in “Match Point.”)

    Allen’s latest, “Whatever Works,” has just been unveiled at ShoWest, and while much of the advance speculation has been centred on leading lady Evan Rachel Wood, I’ve heard a couple of informal reports that, in accordance with the aforementioned trend, Patricia Clarkson could be the story here. Which wouldn’t be a surprise, of course; she’s a great actress, and the film apparently gives her a chance to play entertainingly against type.

    Judging from this faintly spoiler-ish description from a contributor at Nat Rogers’ Film Experience site, it sounds like a pretty showy role:

    Patricia Clarkson storms into the movie after approximately 40 minutes, and plays a role in many ways comparable to Penélope Cruz’s tempestuous Oscar-winning Maria Elena. While I was initially skeptical of Allen’s treatment of Wood as a young Lolita, Clarkson actually plays the much more sexualized character. After showing up on Boris’s doorstep in a hot pink ensemble (scrunchy included!) fit for the Southern pageant circuit, she is quickly awakened to the culture of New York … Her character transitions from praising Jesus to opening an exhibit of nude collages. Clarkson is dynamic and sexy and once again demonstrates her unbeatable range. I don’t think it is any stretch to consider her worthy of this year’s Oscar race.

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  • Embarrassment of riches

    Remember when, a few weeks ago, Freida Pinto was automatically declared Woody Allen’s new “muse” simply because she had committed to his next film?

    Well, it seemed premature then — and now that none other than Nicole Kidman has been added to a cast that already included Naomi Watts, I think it’s fair to say the focus (not to mention the pressure) is off Pinto.

    Even by Allen’s own lofty casting standards, Kidman is quite a coup. As usual, we have no other details of the project, but I would love to see Kidman let loose in a comedy for a change. With Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas also in the mix, it’s certainly an attractive line-up. But then, when does one of Woody’s films not look good on paper?

    (UPDATE: Thanks to diligent commenter Billyboy, I can inform you that the film is “a dramatic comedy which is set in London (and) revolves around the romantic intrigues, sexual desires and ambitions of a group of people.” Business as usual for the man, then — not that we’d want it any other way.)

  • Freida Pinto, Woody Allen and muse have been used in too many headlines

    Freida PintoBut I guess that’s the truth of the matter.  The gorgeous “Slumdog Millionaire” star has been pegged to star alongside an increasingly talented ensemble in Woody Allen’s next flick.  Variety reports:

    Freida Pinto will follow up her performance in the Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” with a role in Woody Allen’s latest project.

    This year’s Cinderella at the Oscar ball will join the long list of Allen’s muses as she takes on the ingenue role in the helmer’s still-untitled pic.

    Naomi Watts has also signed on to star in the film, joining the already-announced Josh Brolin and Anthony Hopkins.

    Mediapro, the Spain-based company behind “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” is financing the as-yet-titled pic, which will be produced by Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures.

  • Brolin, Hopkins to star in Woody Allen’s latest

    This one just landed in the ole’ inbox.  Might as well pass it on:

    Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin and Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins are the first to be cast in Woody Allen’s latest untitled film. A return to Europe for Allen, the new film shoots in London this summer and reteams the director with financer, Mediapro, the Spain-based company which also funded “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Letty Aronson, Steve Tenenbaum and Jaume Roures are producers on the film. Additional cast members will be announced shortly.

    Sony Pictures Classics recently acquired Allen’s next completed film, “Whatever Works,” which will have a June 23rd theatrical release this summer.

    Oddly vague, as usual.  Is Allen ever going to slow down?

  • Thank you

    Since I was talking about original screenplays earlier today, I was interested to see that Jeff Wells is also on the topic. He offers a brief rundown of the nominees for Saturday’s WGA Awards, and offers this theory on why Jenny Lumet missed out on both Guild and Oscar nods for “Rachel Getting Married”:

    Lumet’s screenplay didn’t render enough bombast and sword thrusts in the big-money confrontation scene between Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger. They start to get into the “why did you leave me with him?” issue, Winger freaks and slaps and then Hathaway runs out — not satisfying!

    I’m not sure ‘bombast’ is the word I’d use (I rather think more subtlety was called for), but I’m glad to see that scene singled out — for me, it was a lazy, artificial bit of dramatic shortcutting that caused the film’s whole emotional construction to fall apart somewhat. Anyway, old news and apropos of nothing really, but I’m glad someone else said it.

    As for the WGA, we all know Simon Beaufoy is taking the adapted category. Does Dustin Lance Black win original by default, since he’s the only Oscar nominee of the bunch? I guess so — barring a surge of peer affection for four-time winner Woody Allen. But if Black does lose — not likely, of course — I wouldn’t fancy his Oscar chances much. Just an idle thought.

  • DGA discrepancies with AMPAS are not uncommon

    Frank Darabont on the set of The MistThe announcement of this year’s DGA nominees has left the sense that the races for Best Picture and Best Director are over.  Not so.  While the guild and Academy line up most of the time, and have a decent track record with the directing branch, we must not forget the years that proved otherwise.  This could be such a year.

    Ask yourself how many times the Best Picture category has lined up perfectly with the nominees for Best Director?  Please also be aware that the DGA has awarded their prize sometimes to directors not even nominated for an Oscar: Ron Howard for “Apollo 13” and Steven Spielberg for “The Color Purple” to name a couple.  So while the race is certainly clearer, it is by means over.

    I still believe Woody Allen stands a strong chance for being nominated for “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” just as I believe that Darren Aronofsky could sneak in for “The Wrestler.”  But who gets snubbed?

    Gus Van Sant, Christopher Nolan, Ron Howard, David Fincher and Danny Boyle are worthy nominees all, most deserving of their attention and potential award.  But who of those esteemed five could the Academy allow to slip away?  It’s a tough call.

    I hate to say it, but I think Fincher is the most likely snub.  A stunning film to be sure, and likely the major nominee recipient…just as “The Color Purple” was in 1985.  My gut tells me Fincher might get the shaft only because he’s been on that side of things before, and the others are just too hard to ignore.  That said, let’s not forget that Ron Howard has been a victim of this sort in the past, for his finest work in fact, “Apollo 13.”  And Nolan is in some dicey waters, though I doubt he could be the victim of the blockbuster mentality that haunted Spielberg for “Jaws” (and much of his career).

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  • Guessing the DGA

    Directors Guild of AmericaSo, with SAG, PGA and ASC out of the way, and with WGA still to come in a matter of hours, I guess it’s worth mentioning that the big daddy guild is announcing tomorrow: the Directors Guild of America (DGA).  Now’s as good a time as any to take a stab at guessing the nominees…

    The DGA has been one hell of an Oscar Best Picture barometer for the last decade or so.  Last year was the first real hiccup as the guild only nailed three of the eventual five nominees with their director choices.  2006 saw one misfire (but we all still figured “Dreamgirls” was in around this time two years ago).  Then it was four years in a row five-for-five until we have another hiccup, Ridley Scott making it in for “Black Hawk Down” and Christopher Nolan (in the mix again this year) for “Memento.”

    After that, the general trend was four-for-five with some 100 percents thrown in here and there, but you get the picture.  This is, more often than not, quite the prognosticative (that’s so not a word) guild.  With the PGA clearly establishing a consensus of sorts (not that those five films haven’t been the obvious contenders for weeks upon weeks), I see no real reason to get creative right now, so I’m going with the following:

    David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
    Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight”
    Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
    Gus Van Sant, “Milk”
    Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

    There are only two filmmakers that I think have a shot of cracking this quintet: Woody Allen for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” and, perhaps more so, Darren Aronofsky for “The Wrestler.”  John Patrick Shanley and “Doubt” showing up would truly shock me and Andrew Stanton is not eligible for “WALL-E,” so the field is rather thin.

    What are you thinking?

  • ‘Revolutionary Road’ — snubbed today, sure to be remembered forever

    Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary RoadOne of the biggest surprises of the awards season for me is the fact that “Revolutionary Road” is being all but forgotten by many critics groups and has certainly slipped off the Oscar radar as a result. Is the film deserving?  Absolutley.  I think it is one of the best films of the year and among the finest I have seen this decade, but for whatever reason — and who can explain these things — it has not gotten a great deal of press.

    This is a major accomplishment, a work of art superbly directed by Sam Mendes who in eight years has become one of the most exciting directors in modern cinema. Though I count myself among those who though his breakthrough film “American Beauty” was very good but also radically over-praised, his follow-up, “Road to Perdition,” was superb and should have been among the nominees for Best Picture and Best Director in 2002, vastly superior to “Chicago.”

    His third film, “Jarhead,”  was darkly beautiful to look at but didn’t quite work with audiences who are still not interested in films about Afghanistan or Iraq (whichever installment).  Mendes possesses a gift with actors, one of those directors like Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and more recently, Paul Thomas Anderson.  He’s able to bring out their best work.  It seems no surprise he married an actress.

    He is also patient with a narrative, allowing it to unfold with the knowledge the audience connects with the actors.  With “Revolutionary Road,” he has cranked out a crowning achievement in a career just getting started, and yet like so many other masterworks, it may slip through the cracks, barely noticed.

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