The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Posted December 18, 2013

So, my review for Catching Fire will be littered with recommendations of other (better) books.Because you can’t really talk about Catching Fire without talking about the book and I was really impressed that they managed to make a better movie than it was a book. I was a bit wary going into this movie. I just finished reading The Dream Thieves and Catching Fire can’t come close to those characters. And the intrigue. And the way the story sinks into you. I’m not sure it would make a great movie but it’s an amazing story. How many times have I […]

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Posted December 14, 2013

Be forewarned: my review of the second Hobbit film is kind of vague and philosophical more than my usual analysis. Because there’s not much to say. This has the feel of a story pulled apart and so half formed. There’s new characters but no depth in their relationships or interactions. Tauriel’s relationship with Legolas and his relationship with his father and all the possible intricacies and tension and… we’re given nothing. Even though I think the elves (and the credit song) are the best part of the whole thing. There’s action and great production values, but there was no doubt […]

A Day In The Life Of Chris Hemsworth.

A Day In The Life Of Chris Hemsworth.

Posted November 24, 2013

The golden-locked God of Thunder from Down Under speaks softly off the set but wields a big stick on it— in Thor: The Dark World, in Rush, and in a series of notable dramatic roles. Is this the moment when the 30-year-old Aussie’s blond ambition pays off? THERE’S A BEACH ON BALI CALLED DREAMLAND. That’s the actual name. High above it, on the glass-fronted terrace of a cliff-side villa cantilevered over the postcard-blue eternity of the Indian Ocean, Chris Hemsworth and I are picking at a platter of cut melon and pineapple, talking about how we got here. Playing the […]

George Clooney’s Rules for Living

Posted November 10, 2013

No one does the fame thing like Clooney. He floats above it even as he uses it to embellish his influence. He understands his place in the pantheon even as he remains hidden from the inquisitive lens. He’s the master. You must love him. For one thing, he’s lovable, professionally so. For another, he leaves nothing to chance. If he can’t win you over with his fame, his charm, and his good looks, he will win you over with preparation. It’s not that he’s needy, like an actor; it’s that he’s competitive, like an athlete. He’s always been good at […]

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World

Posted November 9, 2013

I was expecting this movie to be good. I liked the first one a lot (with only a few qualifications) and I liked the character even more in The Avengers. So, yes, I pretty much expected The Dark World to be good. And even then, I was impressed. Because this is one of those movies that’s the ideal in the tentpole-blockbuster-extravaganza films because it’s a character movie first and all of those other things second. The relationship with Thor and Jane Foster is better than the first movie. Even though I still don’t think they have much chemistry we got […]

THR Actress Roundtable 2013

Posted November 1, 2013

Oprah: You need to learn to give yourself over to the character. Let the character take control. And if she wants to cry, she’ll cry. And if she doesn’t, not even Steven Spielberg can make her. Lupita Nyong’o: My teacher at Yale, Ron Van Lieu, once said, “It feels like it’s all about you, but it’s not about you at all. It’s about the person you’re playing.” And that always helps me get out there and do the thing I’ve been hired to do. I am fighting for what my character wants, and if I’m pursuing that, then I’m good. […]

Ryan Reynolds Gets His Swagger Back

Posted August 29, 2013

Ryan Reynolds has been living in the Berlin hotel for five weeks while shooting the director Marjane Satrapi’s The Voices. I chose this gallery in the Mitte neighborhood because it was walking distance from the hotel and, from the photos on its website, seemed to be hosting an exhibit about motorcycles, another of Reynolds’ favorite subjects. But this is not what happens. To trail him through the gallery’s many odd and then odder rooms is to be shotgunned with more raunchy comic riffs and one-liners than are contained on a complete DVD set of Family Guy. (A DVD set, by […]

Chris Hemsworth, Whom You Know As Thor (But Is So Much More)

Chris Hemsworth, Whom You Know As Thor (But Is So Much More)

Posted August 24, 2013

In a land far, far away, Chris Hemsworth is sitting on the deck, no shoes, eating cheese and fruit served to him by his hot wife, drinking a beer, listening to the breeze, wondering if maybe he could afford this place. Saturday at the beach. Chris Hemsworth doesn’t surf on this Saturday. He doesn’t even leave the house. Even though he talks about surfing a lot and I hint that it would be great to do something besides sit on the deck. Instead he lounges above a deafening Pacific surf, drinks one single beer, picks at the plate of cheese, […]

Why Emma Watson quit acting for a little bit

Posted August 2, 2013

From the time Emma Watson was a teenager, she struggled with whether she wanted a career as an actor. She had become an international star at age 11, playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter franchise, and while she was grateful for it, she fantasized about a normal life. So as the Potter films wound down, she enrolled at Brown University in 2009 and dropped out of sight for a few years. For a time, she let the press’ (and even a teacher’s) negative input about her future as an actress eat away at her. But the script for The […]

Joss Whedon| EW Interview

Posted August 1, 2013

He’s the mastermind behind cult favorites and blockbusters; he’s conflicted about Twitter and hates the ending of The Empire Strikes Back; he’s worried about our sequel culture and is excited to create “new worlds;” now Joss Whedon gets deep (and a little dark) about all of the above This is a Joss Whedon story. Which means this is the story of an overlooked underdog who rises up, embraces destiny, and strives to make the world a better place as part of a powerful team. It means there will be heartfelt speeches, smart humor, frequent pop culture references, and tales of […]