VIZ Media's "Perfect Square" Imprint Prepared to Delight at San Diego Comic-Con International 2014

VIZ MEDIA’S PERFECT SQUARE IMPRINT ANNOUNCES FUN EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES FOR

2014 COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL

All-Ages Imprint Celebrates The Launch Of CATBUG And The HELLO KITTY Brand’s 40th Anniversary With In-Booth Artist Appearances, Photo Opportunities, Advance Copies Of Forthcoming Titles And Much More At The Nation’s Largest Comics And Pop Culture Event

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, prepares to delight the young and young at heart with a variety of engaging activities, in-booth artists signings and other fun events presented by its Perfect Square imprint and aimed at fans of all ages at the 2014 Comic-Con International.

Comic-Con International is the nation’s biggest comic book, science fiction and pop culture event, and takes place July 23rd-27th at the San Diego Convention Center, in San Diego, CA. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2813. Complete details on Comic-Con are available at: www.comic-con.org.

Perfect Square will present a range of activities and attractions each day throughout Comic-Con. Fans will also be able to purchase advance copies of several forthcoming Perfect Square titles ahead of their scheduled release dates later this summer. Notable titles that will be available during Comic-Con at the VIZ Media booth include BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG ($30.00) a special Comic-Con limited edition with foil-accented cover and gilded pages - only 250 made - don’t miss the chance to have it autographed by many of the CATBUG artists, including official Bravest Warriors comics artist Ian McGinty, Codename: Kids Next Door creator Mr. Warburton and Ben 10 Omniverse artists Jon Chad and Corin Howell (and more!) at exclusive in-booth signings; BRAVEST WARRIORS: CATBUG'S TREASURE BOOK ($13.00), a pictures-and-words journal, will be sold with a limited edition poster; HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40, a commemorative art book ($50.00) a special Comic-Con limited edition with foil-accented cover and gilded pages - only 250 copies printed - don’t miss the chance to have it signed by HELLO KITTY artists at the exclusive in-booth signing. Fans can also catch a variety of freebies and promo item giveaways throughout the convention along with manga samplers, posters, temporary tattoos, posters, postcards, buttons and more. Also don’t miss the return of the VIZ MEDIA convention tote bag, FREE with any purchase and available in four amazing colorful designs, including HELLO KITTY and UGLYDOLL!

Perfect Square Comic-Con Panels & Special Events:

Thursday July 24th

10:00AM & 4:00PM -UGLY DOLL PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Drop by the VIZ Media booth for a photo with an UGLYDOLL pal!

Friday July 25th

10:00AM & 1:00PM - CATBUG VOICE ACTOR SAM LAVAGNINO
In-Booth Signing & Personal Appearance
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Meet the voice of Catbug, the breakout star of YouTube hit Bravest Warriors, and receive a signed art card!

4:00pm – 5:00pm - BRAVEST WARRIORS ARTIST SIGNING
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Meet talented artists including Stu Livingston, Mr. Warburton, Ian McGinty, Jon Chad and Inori Fukuda Trant for their brand new book, a seek-and-find style artbook featuring Catbug, the breakout star of the YouTube smash-hit BRAVEST WARRIORS series and get your VIZ Media BRAVEST WARRIORS book or sampler signed!

Saturday July 26th

10:00AM – 11:00AM -HELLO KITTY PHOTO OP & ARTIST SIGNING
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Join Hello Kitty and a team of talented artists from the forthcoming HELLO KITTY: HELLO 40 commemorative art book including Eisner-Award winning team Art & Franco, Babymouse creators Jennifer and Matt Holm and Long Tail Kitty creator Lark Pien for a special signing and photo opportunity!

Sunday July 27th

10:00AM – 11:00AM - HELLO KITTY PHOTO OP & ARTIST SIGNING
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Join Hello Kitty and her artist friends for a special second signing and photo opportunity. Fans can meet artists including Brianne Drouhard, Stephanie Gonzaga, Martin Hsu, and Chynna Clugston Flores. Copies of the forthcoming HELLO KITTY: HELLO 40 art book will also be available for sale and fans can have it autographed by the appearing artists.

1:00PM – 2:00PM - HELLO KITTY ARTIST SIGNING
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Meet talented HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40 contributors Corin Howell, Susie Ghahremani, Debbie Huey and Jacob Chabot, and get your limited edition copy signed!

2:00PM – 3:00PM - PERFECT SQUARE PRESENTS – MAKING KIDS COMICS AWESOME
Panel Discussion Room 32AB
Bring your kids and join creators and editors from across the industry for a lively roundtable. What are the challenges of entertaining different age levels at the same time?  Kids can also try their hand at pitching ideas, and hear how the panelists would craft those ideas into real comics, during a one-of-a-kind interactive Q&A. Featuring as moderator writer Tom Pinchuk (MAX STEEL) and as panelists, writer/artist Katie Cook (My Little Pony), writer Jenni L. Holm (Baby Mouse), editor Shannon Watters (kaBOOM!, Adventure Time), editor Sarah Gaydos (IDW Kids Comics) and writer/editor Joel Enos (BEN 10, Perfect Square).

VIZ Media’s Perfect Square imprint focuses on delivering original comics, manga (graphic novels) and other children’s books with an emphasis on strong storytelling, eye-popping graphics, empowering themes, and a dash of irreverence, that captures the imagination of a whole new generation.

Additional information on titles published by Perfect Square is available at www.PerfectSquare.com.

For more information on other manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

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CraveOnline Celebrates TNT's "The Last Ship" at San Diego Comic-Con International 2014

CraveOnline and TNT’s The Last Ship Storm Comic-Con by Sea with Exclusive Concert Event, Featuring MGMT and Grimes, on the USS Midway

Comic-Con 2014

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evolve Media’s CraveOnline Media (http://www.craveonline.com), the largest online male lifestyle publisher, announced today their all new Comic-Con activation aboard San Diego’s USS Midway: CraveOnline Conquers the Con, in conjunction with TNT’s The Last Ship. On Friday, July 25, select guests will board the Comic-Con-adjacent aircraft carrier to enjoy cocktails, games, and most notably, performances by MGMT and Grimes. This is CraveOnline’s third online/offline co-promotion with TNT, and the second to take place at Comic-Con.

    “Throughout the entire planning process, our goal was to build an event that would not only cater to CraveOnline’s massive music and entertainment audiences, but to create an unforgettable experience—one that would distance us from the usual distractions surrounding Comic-Con”

Upon boarding the USS Midway, guests will step into a fully branded entryway, immersing themselves into the world of The Last Ship—TNT’s hit new post-apocalyptic series about the crew of a Navy destroyer searching for the cure to a global pandemic. Guests will then head through the similarly themed Science Lab, where footage from the show can be viewed. From there, they can partake in the Laser Maze, a laser-tag style target practice meant to take down intruders who threaten the cure. For a select group, refuge can be found in the TNT-hosted VIP Hangar Bay Lounge. Meanwhile, all guests are invited to peruse the Loot Lounge for specialty cocktails—and to then head to the main deck to have their photo taken in front of real fighter jets.

The evening will culminate with an opening DJ set by Grimes, followed by an exclusive performance from the Grammy Award-winning group MGMT on the CraveOnline stage.

Readers at home can keep up with complete coverage of the event, along with all Comic-Con news, on CraveOnline.com—which will display branded takeovers by TNT’s The Last Ship.

“This party is the perfect way to celebrate TNT’s The Last Ship, this year's #1 cable series,” said Tricia Melton, Senior Vice President of Entertainment Marketing and Branding for TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We're excited to be joining forces with CraveOnline for a truly unique event onboard a vessel that mirrors the program perfectly. This party is certain to be an experience unlike any other at Comic-Con.”

“Throughout the entire planning process, our goal was to build an event that would not only cater to CraveOnline’s massive music and entertainment audiences, but to create an unforgettable experience—one that would distance us from the usual distractions surrounding Comic-Con,” said John Keefer, General Manager of CraveOnline and Vice President of Evolve Media. “Securing the USS Midway was crucial to visually set us apart, while our loyal friends at TNT have made it easy—and fun—to create a fantastically immersive experience. Exclusive concert sets by MGMT and Grimes will provide an exhilarating ending to an extraordinary night.”

For complete coverage of Comic-Con, as well as photos and videos of the event, please visit: http://www.craveonline.com/hub/comic-con.

About TNT's The Last Ship
This summer, TNT is topping the charts with its new action-packed drama series The Last Ship, starring Eric Dane (Grey's Anatomy) and executive-produced by blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay (Transformers). Airing Sundays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), The Last Ship ranks as basic cable's #1 new series so far this year. The show takes place in the midst of a global catastrophe that nearly decimates the world's population. Because of its positioning, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Nathan James avoids falling victim to the devastating tragedy. But now the crew and its captain must confront the reality of their new existence in a world where they may be among the few remaining survivors.

Dane stars as Captain Tom Chandler, a career Navy man who is authoritative and decisive, but also fair and courageous. A born leader and a loving father and husband, Chandler is respected and loved by the men and women under his command. The Last Ship also stars Rhona Mitra (Strike Back) as Rachel Scott, a strong-willed, intelligent and fearless paleomicrobiologist assigned to the Nathan James to investigate the cause of billions of deaths worldwide. Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck) is Slattery, the ship's second-in-command who worries deeply about his family and occasionally clashes with Dane's Captain Chandler over the best course of action. The series also stars Travis Van Winkle (Heart of Dixie), Charles Parnell (Pariah), Christina Elmore (Fruitvale Station), Sam Spruell (Snow White and The Huntsman) and Marissa Neitling (Leverage).

The Last Ship is based on William Brinkley's popular novel and comes to TNT from Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes and its partners, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, whose credits include the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Bay, Fuller and Form serve as executive producers, along with showrunner Hank Steinberg (creator of Without a Trace, The Nine), Steven Kane (The Closer) and director Jack Bender (Lost).

About CraveOnline Media, LLC
CraveOnline (www.craveonline.com) is the #1 male lifestyle destination reaching men ages 18-34 featuring video, movies, TV, music, sports, games, cars, humor and more. As the largest male lifestyle publishing company, CraveOnline Media attracts over 26 million unique visitors per month. CraveOnline strives to get users the most up-to-date and coolest content on the web. For advertisers, CraveOnline produces custom, integrated media programs that leverage rich media, video, mobile and social in ways that allow the marketing message to be an uninterrupted part of the user experience. Recent brand advertisers include Schick, Wrigley, IKEA, Universal, LG, Nikon, Coke, Pepsi, Unilever. The company is based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto. CraveOnline is part of Evolve Media (www.evolvemediallc.com).

This is What VIZ Media Will Be Doing at San Diego Comic-Con International 2014

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES SHOW PROGRAMMING, PANEL EVENTS, SPECIAL GUESTS AND CONVENTION EXCLUSIVES FOR 2014 COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL

VIZ Media Hosts NARUTO Japanese Voice Actor And Offers A Weekend Of Collectable Giveaways, Convention Exclusive Items, Fun Booth Activities, Panel Discussions And Much More At The Nation’s Largest Comics And Pop Culture Event

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, delivers a cornucopia of anime and manga delight to fans of all ages this year at the 2014 Comic-Con International. Attendees are invited to join a fun weekend in San Diego jam-packed with special events, in-booth giveaways, informative panel discussions, and other fun activities and convention exclusives.

Comic-Con International is the nation’s biggest comic book, science fiction and pop culture event, and takes place July 23rd-27th at the San Diego Convention Center, in San Diego, CA. VIZ Media will be located in Booth 2813. Complete details on Comic-Con are available at: www.comic-con.org.

VIZ Media will host an array of panel discussions detailing a host of forthcoming releases, new acquisitions and other surprises from the company’s animation and publishing teams. Fans will not want to miss a very special appearance by Junko Takeuchi, the Japanese voice actress who provides the original voice for Naruto in the popular anime series. She will join the staff of VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP for a special panel discussion on NARUTO on Thursday, July 24th. Fans are also invited to attend the official SAILOR MOON panel, which will offer new information on the return of the legendary animated series to North America!

VIZ Media’s Booth 2813 on the Main Show Floor will be a continual hub of activity with special in-booth photo opportunities with an UGLYDOLL on Thursday, July 24th and everyone’s favorite cat-type robot from the future, DORAEMON, on Saturday July 25th. Fans can also catch freebies and promo item giveaways throughout the convention including posters, temporary tattoos, posters, postcards, buttons and more for popular series such as BLOOD LAD, DEADMAN WONDERLAND, SAILOR MOON and ONE-PUNCH MAN. And don’t miss the return of the VIZ MEDIA convention tote bag, FREE with any purchase, available in four amazing designs (while supplies last)!

Collectors also can browse an array of limited edition items and special convention exclusives that will be offered for sale in the VIZ Media booth throughout Comic-Con (while supplies last). Notable items include ONE PIECE Exclusive Replica Manga Art ($15.00); Limited Edition BRAVEST WARRIORS: THE SEARCH FOR CATBUG ($35.00), with foil-accented slipcover and gilded page edges only 250 made - don’t miss the chance to have it signed by the artists at the exclusive in-booth signing; BRAVEST WARRIORS: CATBUG'S TREASURE BOOK ($15.00); HELLO KITTY, HELLO 40 Commemorative Art Book (50.00) only 250 printed with foil-accented slipcover and gilded page edges - don’t miss the chance to have it signed by HELLO KITTY artists at the exclusive in-booth signing; exclusive Gecco NARUTO SHIPPUDEN figure ($150.00); and Cryptozoic’s NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Trading Card Game Presale ($50.00).

Also catch special advance pre-sales of several forthcoming new VIZ Media titles including FOOD WARS, Vol. 1 ($10.00), BLACK ROSE ALICE ($10.00) and THE ART OF PRINCESS MONOKOE ($35.00) ahead of their street date releases later this summer.  Don’t miss the latest WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Jump Pack ($20.00) that contains more than 100 pages of the world’s most popular featured series and a limited edition YU-GI-OH! card “Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Evening Twilight,” as well as a special bonus exclusive game mat free with purchase (while supplies last)!

VIZ Media Comic-Con Panels & Special Events:

Thursday July 24th

10:00AM and 4:00PM - UGLYDOLL PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Drop by the VIZ Media booth for a photo with an UGLYDOLL pal!

10:00AM – 11:30AM - SHONEN JUMP PRESENTS: NARUTO
Room 8
NARUTO is one of the world’s most popular manga series, with over 60 best-selling volumes published. Get all the latest news and more at this super-sized panel, featuring guests from VIZ Media, Bandai Namco Games (Daisuke Koumoto, producer of the upcoming NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM REVOLUTION) and a special guest Junko Takeuchi, Japanese voice of Naruto!

4:00PM – 5:00PM - VIZ MEDIA PANEL
Room 7AB
Get the latest updates & exciting news from VIZ Media staff on your favorite manga and anime! There will be free manga for attendees (while supplies last)!

Friday July 25th

10:00AM – 1:00PM - CATBUG VOICE ACTOR SAM LAVAGNINO
In-Booth Signing & Personal Appearance
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Meet the voice of Catbug, the breakout star of YouTube hit Bravest Warriors, and get a signed art card!

10:00AM – 11:00AM - VIZ MEDIA ANIMATION PANEL Feat. NEON ALLEY
Room 25ABC
Find out all that's new and awesome with the VIZ Media animation team and the free streaming site Neon Alley! Bring all your anime questions because they will be there to answer them!

Saturday July 26th

12:30PM – 1:30PM - OFFICAL SAILOR MOON PANEL
Room 5AB
VIZ Media is releasing the complete classic SAILOR MOON series for the first time on Blu-ray and with an all-new English dub! Join members of the VIZ Media animation team and learn all about this legendary anime series!

12:30PM - DORAEMON PHOTO OPPORTUNITY
VIZ Media Booth #2813
Get a hug and take a picture with everyone’s favorite cat-type robot from the future, DORAEMON!

Sunday July 27th

2:00PM – 3:00PM - PERFECT SQUARE PRESENTS – MAKING KIDS COMICS AWESOME
Room 32AB
Bring your kids along, or just your inner child, and join an eclectic group of creators and editors for a lively roundtable that will get you laughing, learning and looking at the craft of all-ages comics in a whole new way!

Other Notable VIZ Media In-Booth Events:

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Deck Building Game Demo
Check the daily booth schedule for a chance to try out the new card game debuting from Cryptozoic at SDCC!

In-Booth Signing and Photo-Op: HELLO KITTY
Join Hello Kitty herself and graphic novel artists for a special signing and photo opportunity!

Saturday, July 26th 10AM: features Jenni Holm, Matt Holm, Art Baltazar, Franco Aureliani, Lark Pien

Sunday, July 27th at 10AM: features Brianne Drouhard, Stephanie Gonzaga, Martin Hsu, Chynna Clugston Flores, Susie Ghahremani

Jacob Chabot will also be available Sunday July 27th at 1PM!

In-Booth Signing: BRAVEST WARRIORS
Meet the talented contributors for the brand new books based off of the YouTube smash-hit series and get your VIZ Media BRAVEST WARRIOR book or comic sampler signed!

Friday, July 25th at 4:00PM: features Stu Livingston, Tom Warburton, Jon Chad, Ian McGinty

Sunday, July 27th at 1:00PM: features Corin Howell and Inori Fukuda Trant,

In-Booth Signing: NARUTO Figure Sculptor Shin Tanabe
Thursday, July 24th & Friday July 25th at 2:30PM
Meet Gecco figure Sculptor Shin Tanabe, creator of the Comic-Con exclusive NARUTO SHIPPUDEN figure and get your limited edition figure signed!

RANMA ½ Plinko
Available Throughout Comic-Con
Try your luck at our RANMA ½ Plinko board for a chance to win a limited edition Comic-Con only RANMA ½ water bottle! Check the daily booth schedule for times to play!

For more information on VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.

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(Girl) Thor Drawn by Chris Samnee

Review: "Blue Jasmine" Filled with Superb Performances

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blue Jasmine (2013)
Running time:  98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material, language and sexual content
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Edward Walson
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Javier Aguirresarobe
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard, Daniel Jenks, Max Rutherford, Max Casella, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Alden Ehren

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 drama written and directed by Woody Allen.  The film follows a rich Manhattan socialite, fallen on hard times, who moves to San Francisco to live with her sister, with her troubles in tow.

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) was a New York socialite, married to hugely successful real estate developer, Hal Francis (Alec Baldwin).  Jasmine, whose real name is Jeanette, leads a life of luxury and leisure, but Hal’s business is based on fraud.  After Hal is sent to prison, she loses everything (home, money, status, etc.).  Jasmine travels to San Francisco where she will move in with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), a single mother of two boys, Matthew (Daniel) and Johnny (Max).

Jasmine’s arrival is an imposition, as Ginger had planned to allow her fiancé, Chili (Bobby Cannavale), to move in with her.  Hal’s fraudulent dealings also cost Ginger and her ex-husband, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay), a lot of money and financially ruined them.  Deeply troubled and in denial about the past, Jasmine looks fabulous, but her looks hide the fact that she isn’t bringing anything good to her new home.

Blue Jasmine is not only one of Woody Allen’s best screenplays of the last decade, but it also features some of his best characters ever.  In a way, their motivations and emotions are so obvious that they could be described as wearing their hearts on their sleeves.  On the other side of that, each character is also inscrutable, because what goes on inside their heads (thinking and thought processes) is largely a mystery.

Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis is the most inscrutable of all, and as Jasmine, Cate Blanchett gives what may be the best performance of her career.  That says a lot in a career full of incredible performances.  Jasmine is that rare instance when an actor brings to life a fully realized character that seems to devour everything that the actor is.  Blanchett also makes sure that there are no easy answers to Jasmine, who denies the past, but is inexorably trapped in it.

Sally Hawkins as Ginger manages to keep up with Blanchett, and in every scene that Ginger shares with Jasmine, Hawkins makes her character just as compelling.  Prepare to be surprised by the multi-dimensional performance by Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger’s ex-husband, Augie.  I was a huge fan of Clay when he was a blazing, red-hot, stand-up comic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but his heartbreaking turn as the deeply wounded Augie is still a surprise to me.

I have read that some critics see Blue Jasmine as Woody Allen’s take on Tennessee William’s legendary play, A Streetcar Named Desire, as they share similar elements.  If this is true, Allen made Blue Jasmine worthy of being compared to the masterwork that is William’s play.  Even movie audiences who are not usually fans of Allen’s films should see the exceptional Blue Jasmine.

8 of 10
A

Friday, July 18, 2014

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Cate Blanchett); 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Sally Hawkins) and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Woody Allen)

2014 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Cate Blanchett); 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Sally Hawkins)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Leading Actress” (Cate Blanchett); 2 nominations: “Best Original Screenplay” (Woody Allen) and “Best Supporting Actress” (Sally Hawkins)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: European Actors Shine in Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

To Rome with Love (2012)
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – R for some sexual references
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Faruk Alatan, and Giampaolo Letta
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Darius Khondji
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

ROMANCE/COMEDY with elements of fantasy

Starring:  Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Flavio Parenti, Alison Pill, Fabio Armiliato, Alessandro Tiberi, Alessandra Mastronardi, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Albanese, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, and Roberto Benigni

To Rome with Love is a 2012 romantic comedy written and directed by Woody Allen.  Like other Allen films, To Rome with Love has magical realist elements.  To Rome with Love follows a small group of visitors and residents of Rome and focuses on their romances and adventures and the predicaments into which they get themselves.

To Rome with Love tells four unrelated stories.  Hayley (Alison Pill), an American tourist, falls in love with Italian pro bono lawyer and Rome resident, Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti), and they become engaged.  Hayley’s parents, Jerry and Phyllis (Woody Allen and Judy Davis), arrive in Rome to meet Michelangelo and his parents.  Jerry, a retired opera director, discovers that Michelangelo’s father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), has a wonderful operatic voice, so Jerry decides to make Giancarlo an opera star in spite of everyone’s protests against that.

Newlyweds Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) arrive in Rome from their rustic hometown.  They are supposed to meet Antonio’s well-connected and posh uncles who have lined up a fantastic job interview for him.  However, Antonio and Milly get separated.  Antonio is accidentally forced into an encounter with a gorgeous prostitute named Anna (Penelope Cruz).  Milly meets her favorite actor, Luchino “Luca” Salta (Antonio Albanese), who immediately begins to plot to have sex with the young wife.

John Foy (Alec Baldwin) is visiting Rome and meets Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), a young architecture student.  Jack lives with his girlfriend, Sally (Greta Gerwig).  Sally’s friend, Monica (Ellen Page), a pretentious young actress, arrives in Rome to visit them.  John warns Jack about falling in love with Monica…  Finally, ordinary business man, Leopold Pisanello (Roberto Benigni), suddenly gains an extraordinary life.

To Rome with Love is a romantic, comic, and romantic comedy romp through Rome.  It is not by any means a great film, but this movie does have a kind a charm that I cannot explain.  The American actors are mostly stiff, but Allen does not give them particularly flexible characters.  There is, however, this one great moment when Alec Baldwin’s John gives Ellen Page’s Monica a fantastic death stare.  There is something potent, electric, and maybe even dangerous in this one stare that I wish the rest of the John-Jack-Sally-Monica storyline had.

On the opposite side, the European actors sparkle.  Allen gives them the best characters and also better subplots than he gives the Americans.  The Europeans get inside the shallow characters Allen gives them and make them less shallow and more attractive. One example of this is Antonio Albanese.  Bald at the top of his head and somewhat pudgy, Albanese makes Luca Salta an alluring, sexy man, which in turn makes the idea of Salta as a movie star convincing.

Penelope Cruz, who won a supporting actress Oscar for her performance in an earlier Woody Allen film (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), gives To Rome with Love’s best performance.  She deserved another supporting actor Oscar nomination (at least) for her work here.  When her Anna is onscreen, this film seems to sparkle with new energy because that is what Cruz does – enliven things.  She is an excellent actress and is also quite the spitfire.

I will recommend To Rome with Love to fans of both Woody Allen and Penelope Cruz.  It is not great, but it is worth seeing.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, July 08, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" a Nice Ode to 1940s Era Films

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 255 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some sexual content
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCER:  Letty Aronson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Zhao Fei
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY/CRIME/MYSTERY/ROMANCE

Starring:  Woody Allen, Helen Hunt, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Markinson, Elizabeth Berkley, Wallace Shawn, Charlize Theron, David Ogden Stiers, and Carol Bayeux

The subject of this movie review is The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, a 2001 romance, crime-comedy and mystery film from writer-director Woody Allen.  The film follows an insurance investigator and an efficiency expert, both hypnotized into stealing jewels by a crooked hypnotist using a jade scorpion.

New York City – 1940:  C.W. Briggs (Woody Allen) is the top insurance investigator for North Coast Casualty and Fidelity of New York, and he is his boss, Chris Magruder’s (Dan Aykroyd) go-to-guy when it comes to solving the thefts of high value items that North Coast is insuring.  C.W. has also been sparring with the company’s latest hire, Betty Ann Fitzgerald (Helen Hunt), an efficiency expert with an eye on putting C.W. in his place.

At a dinner party, a crooked hypnotist named Voltan (David Ogden Stiers) uses a jeweled charm, the Jade Scorpion, to hypnotize C.W. and Betty Ann.  Soon, the combative co-workers are babbling like love struck kids.  Their colleagues think this is some kind of clever hypnosis gag, so no one realizes that Voltan has placed C.W. and Betty Ann under a post-hypnotic suggestion.  Voltan controls C.W. and makes the insurance investigator use his professional skills and inside information to steal a fortune in jewels from two prominent families that have insured their treasure with North Coast.  With the police after him for the robberies, will C.W. ever get a clue that he’s a hypnotized dupe?

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is Woody Allen’s delightful ode to movies from the 1940’s, like his delightful 1987 movie, Radio Days, was.  Jade is a nod to the light mystery films of the 40’s, but here, this material isn’t particularly strong, although the acting is quite good and gives the movie a sense of earnest fun.  The entire cast seems up to recreating both the style and ambience of 40’s era movies and the characters in them, and that’s a credit to Allen’s direction.

Helen Hunt is spicy as Betty Ann Fitzgerald, and she makes an excellent foil for Allen’s C.W. Briggs, who is the typical wisecracking character Allen plays in his comedies.  Charlize Theron glams it up to create the sexy, bold, and randy Laura Kensington, a character with an unfortunately too small part because she gives this flick a much-needed kick in the rear every time she’s on screen.  Brian Markinson, Elizabeth Berkley, and Wallace Shawn also add the right touches to their parts and add flavor to this film.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion isn’t great Allen, nor is it anywhere nearly as good as Radio Days.  It’s a minor, but good Allen flick that will entertain Allen fans to one extent or another.

6 of 10
B

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Updated:  Monday, May 19, 2014

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