Yes, No, Maybe So: "To Rome With Love"

Jose here with a new edition of Yes, No, Maybe So. After the success of the Oscar-winning Midnight in Paris, all eyes were set on Woody Allen's next movie. First the movie caused a tiny outrage because of its "unimaginative" title, later we got a look at an underwhelming poster that had people once more complaining and accusing Woody of "losing his touch".

However, this has become the norm with his work. He's unarguably the most productive artist in moviemaking and people always have very strong reactions towards him and his movies. For all the people who loved Midnight in Paris there were a few who hated it because it wasn't Annie Hall or refused to watch it because they oppose Woody morally.

Here's the first trailer. Help us decide if it's Yes, No or Maybe So...

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In the Name of the Emma

JA from MNPP here with a bit of happy news for those of us who bow down before the awesome thespian powers of Emma Thompson (and our knees hurt because we've been bowing for awhile hoping it will make her work more often, to not enough avail) - she's at work on several new projects (that Richard LaGravenese project Beautiful Creatures sounds interesting to me, but then I've been waiting 15 years for him to make something as good as Living Out Loud) and today it's been announced she's actually going to go back and play a character she already has before... and it's not Nanny McPhee! She was nominated for an Oscar for playing the human rights attorney Gareth Pierce in 1993's In the Name of the Father and she's going to play Pierce again, says Screen Daily.

"The Middle East- and London-set drama [called The Secret Evidence] follows a young British couple mistakenly caught up in the war on terror who turn to Thompson’s character to get one of them out of prison. However, in fighting for her boyfriend’s freedom, the film’s young female lead finds herself and her family subject to attack from the UK Government’s secret service."

Sounds like there's a juicy role for a younger actress in here too. Could Emma get another Oscar nomination out of this? It's been far far too long.

April Foolish Predictions: Best Picture

Every year in the first week of April we try to mentally project ourselves forward several months. This is not easy to do due to the pesky problem of films being so much different on screen than they are "on paper". Drama is Oscar's favorite category and the year has already produced two hit dramas in The Grey and The Hunger Games, one a surprise the other a bonafide phenomenon but they're both essentially genre movies so that's one strike against them. And they'll be old news when voting occurs. Strike two.

We're projecting forward anyway.

The Oscar race doesn't actually begin until summer's end anyway when media and pundit types (guilty!) get all respective about 'the year thus far'. At that point box office and critical heat will hopefully combine for one or two of the blockbusters or sleepers and give us our first real contenders. Fans who never forgave the Academy for leaving The Dark Knight out of the 2008 Best Picture field will surely hope that the magic strikes again for The Dark Knight Rises but I personally can't see it happening. It would have to surpass that film, I think, and even if it does it won't have the unrepeatable tragic connections that elevated the reception of the earlier film. Since I'm doubtful that that could possibly happen and don't particularly think Oscar should feel guilty about that omission (I'm much more pissed that WALL•E missed the list that year) I'd rather dream about an Oscar bid for a certain wild-haired princess. Can Pixar regain their "do no wrong" magic with Brave or did that era run out of gas [*cough Cars 2*] or will Merida strike a bullseye? Sorry to mix metaphors but archery is so hot this year (see also: The Avengers and The Hunger Games).

Late year curiousity and prediction battles after the jump

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Complete the Sentences. So Far...

My favorite movie of the year so far is _________________ because ________________. The next thing I'm planning to see is __________________ because _____________.

Curio: Smart Alec

Alexa here. Alec Baldwin, newly-engaged and soon-to-be-upstaged by Benigni antics in Woody's "To Rome With Love" (if the poster is any indication) turns 54 today. Hearing him deliver a deliciously clever line of dialogue is truly one of lie's great pleasures, no? I've thought so as far back as Married to the Mob ("Tony, I had no idea you was puttin' the stones to Karen"), but his performance in Glengarry Glen Ross may still be his high water mark in scene-stealing. Here's praying Woody has written him enough quality dialogue that even Begnini's arm waving won't matter. If not, well, he still has Tina.  Here are a few arty celebrations of Alec's best lines.

Poster by Amy McAdams.

Glengarry closers mug, available here.

Click for some Jack Donaghy gems...

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