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Entries in Scarlett Johansson (12)

Movie Review - 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Starring Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, and Javier Bardem
Directed by Woody Allen
Rated PG-13


vcb_galleryposter.jpg Something has stirred in Woody Allen over the past few years. At the beginning of this century, Allen’s best work seemed years behind him. Match Point gave him a darker new voice, as well as a new muse named Scarlett Johansson. He’s made two other films in Britain since, Scoop and Cassandra’s Dream, both of which, like Match Point, also feature a murder.

Now the director notorious for never leaving New York has another new location and a new theme in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Allen’s maiden voyage in Spain is a glorious postcard of some of the country’s more beautiful locales, and he feels right at home.

Carefree love is the order of the day, a notable contrast from Allen’s New York catalog of relationships undone by that very thing. It is by all appearances the work of a much younger storyteller, one with an entire world left to express. In fact, there has been some idle chatter that the studio releasing this film, The Weinstein Company, is actually downplaying Allen’s involvement in the TV commercials. Frankly, if I hadn’t known it was one of Woody’s, it would be hard to guess its lineage just by watching the film.

Allen’s cast is sensual and alluring, with Rebecca Hall and Johansson taking the titular journey through Spain, where they happen upon a lothario in artist’s clothing (Javier Bardem) who requests their company on a weekend getaway with the promise of plenty of wine and the prospect of plenty of lovemaking. Of all the performers in the film, Bardem conveys the most sexuality. If he ever hears no in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, it really only means “not yet.”

Though he is attracted to both women, Vicky finds his come-ons boorish and ludicrous. The much more impetuous Cristina is taken in by his advances, yet the progression of the three-headed relationship is not without its surprises.

For added drama and heat, Penelope Cruz is introduced about an hour in as Bardem’s crazy ex-wife. The story doesn’t need her, though; it’s sexy enough as it is. In truth, her appearance kind of signals a shortcoming that dooms many a movie: The story had run its course and needed a boost. The problem with it is that the new character re-routes our travelogue, covering ground Woody Allen has seen many times before – the jealous lover, the jilted lover, the complications of love.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is at its best as a hedonistic tale, and if it investigates anything, it should be how difficult it is to manufacture desire. The movie is simply better without its guilt.

This is not one of Allen’s very best films, but it is a welcome new twist (or tryst). Along with Match Point, this justifies why, even at 76, Woody should still make any movie he wants to.

Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 12:27AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , | CommentsPost a Comment

Win a Threesome with Scarlett Johansson

Back in the free love 1970s, there was no looking online to get the come-on from one of the world's hottest actresses. Back then, there was also no need to: Body hair was cool - mustaches, too - and the more cutoff shorts and tube socks you wore, the better. Chicks dug everything back then, and there was much less protocol for the rich and famous (just ask Margaret Trudeau, wife of the Prime Minister of Canada, about being passed around by the Rolling Stones).

Things are different now. In the 21st Century, you have to wait for a Scarlett Johansson-type to promote her new film by giving away a "threesome" on her personal site.

What's the catch? The catch is she probably won't have sex with you even if you win. Look at yourself. Now look at ScarJo and Ryan Reynolds standing naked in front of a mirror. They probably don't need the extra.

Still, it's certainly an offer you've got to think about, right?

Well, I'm fairly confident that Scarlett is not giving away a night of sex with her or anyone else. So what is this? I wish I knew. If you read the breakdown of the contest, all it says is to send her your "most personal and creative" response explaining why you want in, and you'll be entered in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

That opportunity would probably be, as Cinematical points out, you, Ms. Johansson, and a chaperon having coffee or something. Or in other words, as big a letdown as the rumored three-way between Scarlett, Javier Bardem, and Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which this is an obvious tie-in.

Having said all that, I'm going to enter. And my threesome story is going to be entirely anti-climactic, just like a slice of my real life. Gotta love that e-mail address, too: threesome@scarlettjohansson.com.

Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 06:17PM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , | Comments6 Comments

New Trailer for 'The Spirit' Finds Its Way Online

Trippy. That's about the best word I can use to describe a leaked trailer for The Spirit that came into the possession of Trailer Addict earlier today. Lots of black, white, and red from Frank Miller, who after co-directed Sin City with Robert Rodriguez, is going it alone behind the camera this time for a long overdue film version of the Will Eisner comic.

I don't know that I'd call this a great trailer, but it's still an early one. I'm sure they'll get better in the coming months. Hate the music, though. Doesn't seem to fit.

Dark and full of hot, hot babes, The Spirit hits theaters this Christmas.

Posted on Monday, July 14, 2008 at 08:41PM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , | Comments1 Comment

Woody Allen's 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' Gets a Tepid Poster

Much has already been made of Woody Allen's upcoming film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. You can't bring up the movie anymore without the conversation turning to the supposed sex scene between stars Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem.

Woody is downplaying the sex, and it's worth noting that there's never been much sex at all in Woody's films so much as there's talk about it. He recently said, "There's no truth comparable to anything you've read. There's the barest smidgeon of sex in it. There are sex scenes between all the characters in the movie: between the men and the women, and the women and the women. That is accurate, but I'd say there's probably not even 20 seconds of sex in the whole picture."

And now that he's cleared that up, the question is how did he fit all that sex into 20 seconds?

Be that as it may, there's a new poster for Vicky Cristina Barcelona that premiered yesterday over at Cinematical:

Look for Woody Allen's latest to hit theaters on August 15th.

Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 09:47AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , | CommentsPost a Comment

Scarlett Makes Demands in New 'Spirit' Poster

Another cool poster for Frank Miller's adaptation of The Spirit has popped up over at Yahoo! Movies. Last time, it was Eva Mendes, who has the sexiest collection of images from the movie so far, and now it's Scarlett Johansson giving off mixed signals with her librarian glasses and the obvious innuendo.

Scarlett plays Silken Floss in the film, an evil young secretary and accomplice to The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). I like what Popoholic said of Scarlett last year, namely that she "is genetically already a mid-20th century film noir cartoon." How true.

Here's a new look at Silken Floss, and The Spirit will be out on Christmas day.

Posted on Saturday, June 14, 2008 at 11:02AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , | CommentsPost a Comment
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