Thompson on Hollywood

LAFF Review: Documentary 'Casting By' Heralds the Unsung Yet Crucial Art of the Casting Director

Reviews

“More than ninety percent of directing a picture is the right casting,” says Martin Scorsese at the outset of Tom Donahue’s engrossing documentary “Casting By.” And he’s not alone in his feelings -- Woody Allen, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and a legion of others put in face time in the film to trumpet the importance of the unsung, highly intuitive art of casting. The result is a cinephile’s treat.

By Beth Hanna
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June 15, 2013 10:00 PM
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Summer Line-Up Lacks Women: Thank God for Paul Feig's 'The Heat' and Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine' (Trailers)

Box Office

We all know Hollywood ignores the female audience, because half of the moviegoing public supposedly can't be counted on to show up in vast numbers on opening weekends. But the male bias also exists on the media side: check out EW's May 17 forecast of the top ten box office movies of the summer.

By Anne Thompson
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June 12, 2013 4:28 PM
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First Look: Fashionista Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'

News

The first released image from Woody Allen's latest annual film, "Blue Jasmine," shows fashionable Manhattan housewife Cate Blanchett looking a tad malaise-stricken. Per usual the upscale comedy boasts a sprawling ensemble cast, including returning "To Rome with Love" star Alec Baldwin as a man in crisis, Peter Sarsgaard, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Stuhlbarg and Louis C.K.

By Beth Hanna
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March 7, 2013 3:08 PM
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Weekend Recap: TWC Acquires Vampire Franchise, Hathaway Wants More Musicals, Diablo Cody Talks Stripping Double Standard

News

Check out our weekend Hollywood breaking news wrap on what you need to know: stories about Martin Scorsese, Robert Redford, Roman Coppola's love affair with Woody Allen, Diablo Cody on the gender double standard on stripping, Netflix's House of Cards, Anne Hathaway and Melissa McCarthy's future plans, Pyramid of Movie Kids, and more.

By Maggie Lange
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February 11, 2013 12:11 PM
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Weekend Recap: Hollywood's Most Secretive Directors, Cinema's Future, Tina Brown, AMC vs. Dish

News

Secretive directors: In a world where new posters, trailers, and spoilers are prized and rumors are updated minute-by-minute, remaining a "secretive" director takes willpower and determination. A select few directors manage to keep a tight lid on their projects, and Vulture's Kyle Buchanan posted a list of the most clandestine of these. Hollywood's most secretive filmmakers? Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, and the Wachowskis...

By Maggie Lange
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October 22, 2012 2:35 PM
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Review Roundup: 'To Rome with Love' Not Wooing Critics

Reviews

Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love" had its stateside debut last night at the LA Film Fest, and American critics seem slightly more wooed by the director's latest loveletter to a foreign city than the Italians, but not by much. Review round-up below.

By Anne Thompson
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June 15, 2012 3:03 PM
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Woody Allen Completes Casting Untitled Stateside Film

News

Woody Allen has completed casting his latest untitled film, which returns him stateside to New York and San Francisco this summer. It's Allen’s second time directing in San Francisco, where he shot his directorial debut, 1969's "Take the Money and Run."

By Anne Thompson
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June 4, 2012 3:18 PM
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Early Reviews: Woody Allen's 'To Rome With Love' Falls Short of 'Midnight in Paris,' Does Not Please Romans

Reviews

Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love," his love letter to the eternal city, has not pleased the natives. It seems he misjudged the zeitgeist. Many Italian critics thought his glossy postcard view of Rome did a disservice to the hard economic times the city faces. Early reviews below.

By Maggie Lange
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April 20, 2012 11:09 AM
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Woody Allen Comes Home, Will Shoot Next Picture Stateside

News

After a long sojourn shooting films abroad, Woody Allen is coming home again. The good news after Allen's Oscar-winning "Midnight in Paris" grossed $155 million worldwide: he will shoot his next film in the U.S.

By Anne Thompson
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April 13, 2012 12:33 PM
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Woody Allen Sends Some Roman Love To LA Film Fest

News

While Woody Allen is skipping Cannes--because "To Rome with Love" is opening April 20 in Italy--he's bringing "To Rome with Love" to Los Angeles to open the LA Film Festival on June 14. It will be its North American premiere.