The Playlist

Woody Allen Talks The Inspiration Of Italian Cinema For 'To Rome With Love'

By Gabe Toro
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June 21, 2012 1:59 PM
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2 Comments

News

“With Woody Allen, you have someone who is responsible for more memorable moments than anyone who’s ever been involved in films,” says Alec Baldwin, one of the stars of “To Rome With Love,” who joined various cast members and the director in New York City to talk with press with about the film. The 42nd film of the career of the writer, director and legend, Allen doesn’t have to go far to find an exciting collaborator like Baldwin, who bluntly says, “When he calls you and asks you to come and do this, if you’re available, you go.”

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New Photo: Ellen Page & Jesse Eisenberg, Plus New English Teaser Poster

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 16, 2012 6:30 PM
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3 Comments

News

Spring has sprung, and along with fewer clothes, that pretty much has come to mean one thing in the movie world: that a new Woody Allen film can't be far away. The director's released a film, almost always at this time of year, like clockwork (the last time he skipped one: 1981, between "Stardust Memories" and "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy.") This year's installment sees him head to Italy for the first time, for "To Rome With Love," which has assembled the usual impressive cast including Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill and, for the first time since 2006's "Scoop," Allen himself.

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Sony Pictures Classics Pick Up Woody Allen's 'Nero Fiddled,' Plan Summer 2012 Release

By Oliver Lyttelton
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December 22, 2011 9:42 AM
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1 Comment

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Despite being, in our eyes at least, not noticeably better in quality than recent fare like "Vicky Christina Barcelona" or "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger," the amiable "Midnight in Paris" became Woody Allen's most successful film in decades this year -- it's his biggest ever grosser, and was widely hailed as a return to form. Having already picked up nods at the SAGs and Golden Globes, the film is on track to do pretty well at the Oscars too.

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Review: 'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' Is a Soggy Sea Chanty That Seems Awfully Familiar

By Drew Taylor
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May 13, 2011 11:48 AM
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19 Comments

Executive producers of television series talk about needing to do a "bottle episode," usually about a third of the way through the season when they've unnecessarily overspent on the earlier episodes and need to save up so that the finale can go out with a bang. In a lot of ways "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (yes, that's the actual title) feels like a "bottle episode" in the franchise, one in which the scale is cut back tremendously, extraneous mythology shaved away, with the lavish direction of the original trilogy (by Gore Verbinski, who helmed one of this year's very best movies, "Rango") replaced with someone whose vision is, if not entirely lacking, somewhat more made-for-TV.

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Emile Hirsch Joins Penelope Cruz In Sergio Castellitto's 'Twice Born'

By Simon Dang
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May 12, 2011 4:30 AM
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1 Comment

Emile Hirsch kinda needs a comeback pic, doesn't he? After making a big splash in 2007 with Sean Penn's "Into The Wild," the failed experiment that was the Wachowski's "Speed Racer" left the actor trying to make his mark with small roles in films like "Taking Woodstock" and "Milk," and he's always turned in good performance, even if he hasn't yet become the A-lister he threatened to be.

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Woody Allen's Rome-Set Pic Has Working Title Of 'Bop Decameron,' Based On Boccaccio's Novellas

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 11, 2011 1:21 AM
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9 Comments

Allen & Roberto Benigni Confirmed To Be Taking Acting Roles In Project Woody Allen's latest, "Midnight in Paris," unspools in Cannes tonight -- in fact, its screening to the press on the Croisette is already over. And we're cautiously optimistic. While Allen's recent London and New York excursions have varied from the disappointing ("Whatever Works," "You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger") to the disastrous ("Scoop," "Cassandra's Dream"), but when he ventured to more exotic climes, for "Vicky Christina Barcelona," the prolific writer-director ended up producing his best work in years, and the promising trailer for the Paris-set picture suggests it's firmly in the same groove.

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Penélope Cruz Reteams With Sergio Castellitto In 'Venuto al Mondo'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 26, 2011 5:12 AM
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0 Comments

Man, how did we miss this? The news hit the web last week but somehow, we're only catching up with it now so apologies if you're already aware.

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From The Department Of Obvious Casting: Jesse Eisenberg Wooed For New Woody Allen Film

By Oliver Lyttelton
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April 12, 2011 1:06 AM
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8 Comments

The following is a missive from The Department Of Obvious Casting -- a branch of the Department of Labor.

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Penélope Cruz Joins Woody Allen's Next Rome-Set Film

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 6, 2011 9:40 AM
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1 Comment

Despite what you might think of Woody Allen's later works, most can agree that "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" stood head and shoulders above the rest. Beautifully shot by Javier Aguirresarobe, and a charming romantic tale all around, the film featured fine performances by everyone involved but none more so than by Penélope Cruz who took home an Oscar for her work. And she's ready to work for the filmmaker once again.

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Adrien Brody & Penelope Cruz's 'Manolete' aka 'Blood & Passion' aka 'A Matador's Mistress' Gets Date

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 14, 2011 4:04 AM
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4 Comments

For a film that has been collecting dust for years, no surprise that Adrien Brody and Penelope Cruz's "Manolete" aka "Blood & Passion" (in Canada) and now "A Madator's Mistress" is going straight to VOD.

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