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Rachel McAdams

Film

Woody Allen’s Classic Leading Ladies and Their Contemporary Counterparts

By Chloe Pantazi on

When Freud wrote of female sexuality as “a dark continent,” he might as well have been writing about Woody Allen’s murky understanding of women. The director’s female characters invariably have abundant daddy issues, a slew of neuroses, and affairs with artists, professors, married men. They seek advice from therapists and fortune tellers, they’re tempestuous and stubborn; though they’re sometimes incredibly narrow, they’re often appealingly complex. Allen’s female characters are so obviously amalgamations of his fantasy woman – or rather women, plural – that one might contend they’re part of an ongoing, experiment in understanding women. Following this week’s news that Emma Stone is set to star in the next Allen film, we’ve conducted a little experiment of our own, looking back at the ladies of his canon, matching the women of his classic era with their contemporary counterparts. … Read More

Film

Flavorwire’s Guide to Indie Flicks to See in April

By Jason Bailey on

Spring is upon us, dear readers, so it’s your last chance to enjoy some light entertainment before the summer onslaught of giant explosions and endless sequels. (What’s that? G.I. Joe 2 came out last weekend? Let’s pretend like it didn’t happen.) As is our wont on the first of the month, we’ve rounded up April’s independent films of note: those we’ve seen and recommended, and those we can’t wait to get a look at. Join us after the jump for a sampling of this month’s art house goodies. … Read More

Film

Terrence Malick’s ‘To the Wonder’ Set for 2013 Release

By Judy Berman on

In a career that’s spanned over four decades, Terrence Malick has only released six films. So it’s kind of a big deal that his seventh, To the Wonder, has already debuted to festival audiences in Venice and Toronto, just a year after The Tree of Life dazzled (and baffled) viewers around the world. … Read More

Film

This Week in Trailers: ‘Passion,’ ‘The Impossible,’ and a Cage Double-Header

By Jason Bailey on

Every Friday here at Flavorwire, we like to gather up the week’s new movie trailers, give them a look-see, and rank them from worst to best — while taking a guess or two about what they might tell us (or hide from us) about the movies they’re promoting. We’ve got nine new trailers for you this week, featuring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Nicolas Cage, Rachel McAdams, Jennifer Garner, Hugh Jackman, John Cusack, Olivia Wilde, Noomi Rapace, Vanessa Hudgens, Ty Burrell, and Rob Corddry; check ‘em all out after the jump, and share your thoughts in the comments. … Read More

Film

10 Great Supporting Performances by Actors Who Usually Lead

By Jason Bailey on

Out on DVD today is one of our favorite rom-coms in many a moon, Jennifer Westfeldt’s Friends with Kids, which stars the writer/director and… Adam Scott, which seems sort of strange considering that Ms. Wesfeldt’s S.O. for the past decade and a half has been Mr. Jon Hamm, who would seem an obvious choice for the film’s leading role. Instead, as in Bridesmaids, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Town (and in sharp contrast to his television work), Hamm plays a secondary supporting role in the picture — and continues to carve out a niche for himself as a leading man who chooses to be a second banana. After the jump, we’ve got ten more name actors who decided to step back and play supporting roles, to great effect. … Read More

Film

The Actors With the Worst On-Screen Love Lives

By Jason Bailey on

One of our favorite movies of the year, Sarah Polley’s heartbreaking Take This Waltz, hits theaters this Friday (but, heads up, you can watch it on demand right effing now, and should). In it, Michelle Williams plays a writer who jeopardizes her seemingly happy marriage when she falls for the handsome fellow down the street. Thinking back on the movie, we couldn’t help but muse that Williams seems an actress particularly unlucky in love on screen; in fact, she’s one of many actors who seem to have made a specialty of playing characters who are perpetually getting screwed, romantically speaking. After the jump, we take a look at the unlucky cinematic love lives of Williams and nine of her contemporaries (to keep it simple, we stuck with modern actors). Some spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk, etc.; agree, disagree, and add your own nominees in the comments. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Hooray! Stephen Colbert will resume taping his show tonight after taking some time off last week to reportedly care for his 91-year-old mother. “My family and I would like to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers,” he tweeted to fans. “We are grateful and touched by your concern.” [via … Read More

Film

The Weekend Box Office: Explain Yourself, America

By Jason Bailey on

The pre-Valentine’s Day weekend was an unexpectedly big one at the box office, with four new movies bringing in over $20 million in receipts — only the second time in history that such an event has occurred, and the first time, as some outlets are reporting, that it’s happened on a non-holiday weekend. (We’ll let you decide whether a few days before Valentine’s Day counts as a “holiday weekend” or not. I’ll refrain from comment, in the interest of not upsetting anyone on the eve of said maybe-holiday.) What’s even more remarkable about this considerable fiscal accomplishment is that it was achieved with four movies that no one here at Flavorpill can actually imagine going to see. Neat trick, Hollywood! … Read More

Film

Movie Halloween Parties We’d Like to Attend

By Jason Bailey on

Happy Halloween, everybody! Since the ghoulish holiday falls on a Monday this year, we’re assuming many of you hit your Halloween parties over the weekend — and have had your fill of putting on a ridiculous costume and enjoying far too many adult beverages. So if, like us, you’re staying in for the night, we’d like to suggest a few cinematic All Hallows’ Eve celebrations that you might visit this evening instead. After the jump, join us for a look at a few movie Halloween parties we’d like to attend. … Read More

Film

Trailer Park: Vampires, Crazy People, Don Cheadle, and More Vampires

By Jason Bailey on

Welcome to “Trailer Park,” a new Friday feature wherein we’ll collect the week’s new trailers all in one place and do a little “judging a book by its cover,” ranking them from worst to best and taking our best guess at what they may be hiding (for better or worse). For our inaugural week, we’ve got quite the grab bag — six new trailers of wildly varying quality. Check ‘em out after the jump. … Read More