Thompson on Hollywood

Weekend Preview: From Artful 'Beyond the Hills' to Mainstream 'Oz'

Reviews

Cristian Mungiu's brilliantly slow-to-burn "Beyond the Hills" (which people might start referring to as "the Romanian exorcism movie") opens this weekend, with critics appropriately impressed with the Cannes winner; leads Cristina Flutur and Cosmina Stratan both won Best Actress at the fest last May.

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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March 8, 2013 3:12 PM
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Review: Cristian Mungiu's 'Beyond the Hills' a Brilliant Slow Burn to Hell

Reviews

“Beyond the Hills,” Cristian Mungiu’s shortlisted Oscar entry from Romania, is shot in gorgeous grey-gold widescreen. The film is set in the rural countryside, where a humble monastery dots the top of a sparse hill. When a stranger intrudes the monastery, and wreaks havoc on its order and indirectly on herself, the nature of belief systems is called into question.

By Beth Hanna
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March 6, 2013 1:06 PM
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Weekend Preview: 'War Witch' Bewitches, 'Stoker' a Mixed Bag, 'Jack the Giant' Not Slaying Critics

Reviews

It's a good weekend for limited release films. Canada's Oscar-nominated foreign entry "War Witch," a harrowing yet poignant tale of a young Congolese girl's survival and first love, is scoring top marks with critics. Meanwhile, documentaries "Leviathan" and "A Place at the Table"...

By Beth Hanna
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March 1, 2013 2:43 PM
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Review: Oscar-Nominated 'War Witch' Sees Trauma Through the Haunted Lens of Magical Realism

Reviews

“War Witch,” Canada’s Oscar-nominated Foreign-Language entry, centers on a young African girl’s abduction into a rebel army, her escape, and the slow, painful process of liberating herself from the army’s traumatic, devastating reach. It is directed by French-Canadian Kim Nguyen, and is the second feature film in history to be shot in Kinshasa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

By Beth Hanna
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February 28, 2013 1:50 PM
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Review Roundup: 'Jack the Giant Slayer,' from Fee-Fi to Ho-Hum, End of Fairy Tale Rainbow?

Reviews

Critics are divided on Bryan Singer's "Jack the Giant Slayer," starring Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Eleanor Tomlinson. Some bluntly call it "pretty dumb" and label it as yet another Hollywood cash-in on the fairytale trend, while others find Singer's direction admirable -- "smart, thrilling and a whole lot of fun." Roundup below.

By Beth Hanna
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February 27, 2013 12:40 PM
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My Night at the Oscars, from the Red Carpet to the Governor's Ball

Awards

It was mighty fun attending the Oscars as a guest, as opposed to standing on high heels with the print press off the red carpet or backstage, simultaneously tracking the show and winners' interviews. It's been a while since I covered inside the Oscar show for Premiere and EW--back at the Shrine and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Indiewire colleague and Oscar virgin Peter Knegt, sporting a new tuxedo, and I opted to walk to the show instead of driving. This required a police escort up Highland from Sunset to the red carpet entrance on Hollywood Boulevard. Sparkling big-haired Adele was behind us, wraith-like Anne Hathaway ahead.

By Anne Thompson
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February 26, 2013 4:27 PM
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Weekend Preview: Dwayne Johnson and Alex Karpovsky Receive Middling Reviews, Luis Bunuel's Must-See 'Tristana'

Reviews

This weekend sees such diverse personalities as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "Girls" star Alex Karpovsky on the big screen. Johnson's vehicle "Snitch" isn't snatching much praise from critics, while Karpovsky has written, directed and starred in the double feature "Rubberneck" and "Red Flag," receiving middling to positive reviews.

By Beth Hanna
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February 22, 2013 1:58 PM
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Film Critic Lisa Schwarzbaum on Movies, the Good, Bad and Ugly of Engaging with Readers, and Leaving EW After 22 Years

News

When Lisa Schwarzbaum announced earlier this month that she would be leaving Entertainment Weekly, I wrote her asking why. "I'm leaving under the happiest of circumstances," she replied. "22 years is enough for anything, don't you think?"

By Anne Thompson and Beth Hanna
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February 21, 2013 2:57 PM
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Now and Then: In 'For Ellen,' the Many Faces of Paul Dano

Reviews

Put a quarter in the jukebox and the rocker Joby Taylor (Paul Dano) transforms. His loping gait diffuses into trance, a manic, writhing riff on his stage persona. It's a conversion experience of sorts, fittingly enough: "For Ellen" is a tale of many metamorphoses.

By Matt Brennan
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February 19, 2013 1:34 PM
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'Girls' Recap 6: The 'Boys' Aren't in Kansas Anymore, Toto

Television

One of the things I’ve admired about this season of “Girls” is that it has no obligation to regularly check in with each of the four “leads” of the show. Instead, certain characters are more central in certain episodes, in an organic way, while supporting characters are given a surprising amount of interiority.